The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani said that the federal government has awarded a total of N200 million in grants to 55 Nigerian researchers and innovators through two of its tech programs, the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) and Fourth Industrial Revolution Technology Application (4IRTA).

The Minister disclosed this in a post on X while unveiling the Ministry’s plan for the next one year. According to him, the government is now working on harnessing the results of the research and solutions built by the innovators for the benefit of the economy.

“After awarding grants totaling N200 million under these two thematic programs to 55 Nigerian researchers and innovators, we are collating the outcomes of their demonstration projects so as to scale relevant solutions to businesses to drive increased productivity.

“We plan to expand these demonstration projects to other sectors Such as education and healthcare,” the Minister stated.

The programs
Under the NAIR scheme, the Ministry in December last year announced the selection of 45 Nigerian researchers to receive grants to develop their AI projects.

The selected AI researchers cut across healthcare, agriculture, finance, and education. According to Tijani, the Scheme aims to foster a vibrant and sustainable AI ecosystem in Nigeria by providing grants and facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration among individuals and organizations in the AI industry.

He added that the proposals from the selected researchers tackle some of Nigeria’s pressing challenges and offer the potential to “revolutionize industries, empower communities, and unlock a future full of possibilities.”

Similarly, in January this year, 10 startups were shortlisted under the 4IRTA program to receive up to N10 million in funding to deepen the application of agriculture technologies.

Tijani, who unveiled the selected projects, said the initiative was in support of President Bola Tinubu’s mandate to cultivate 500,000 hectares of land across Nigeria to boost food security.

AI Strategy
Meanwhile, on the administration’s efforts to promote the development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, Tijani said the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy draft document is currently being reviewed by MDAs, following which it would be adopted as a national policy to guide all government efforts in Al.

He added that the government has also formed the Al Collective which will collaborate on research, projects of interest, hackathons, and seminars to develop an inclusive approach to Nigeria’s AI initiatives.

What you should know
Aside from the AI Strategy currently being reviewed, the Nigerian government recently launched its Large Language Model, which is expected to position the country as an AI leader in Africa.

According to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the LLM will be trained in 5 low-resource languages and accented English to ensure stronger language representation in existing datasets for the development of Artificial Intelligence solutions.

The AI tool is currently being built by a Nigerian startup, Awarri in partnership with a global tech company, DataDotOrg, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR).

X, formerly Twitter, has been banned in Brazil after failing to meet a deadline set by a Supreme Court judge to name a new legal representative in the country.

Alexandre de Moraes ordered the “immediate and complete suspension” of the social media platform until it complies with all court orders and pays existing fines.

The row began in April, with the judge ordering the suspension of dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.

Reacting to the decision, X owner Elon Musk said: “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”

The social media network is said to be used by at least a 10th of the nation’s 200 million inhabitants.

By Saturday morning some users had reported access to the platform was no longer possible.

It closed its office in Brazil earlier this month, saying its representative had been threatened with arrest if she did not comply with orders it described as “censorship” – as well as illegal under Brazilian law.

Justice Moraes had ordered that X accounts accused of spreading disinformation – many supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro – must be blocked while they are under investigation.

He said the company’s legal representatives would be held liable if any accounts were reactivated.

X has been threatened with fines for refusing to comply with this order, with the company and Mr Musk joining critics in Brazil in accusing the judge as being left-wing.

It is the latest in a series of rows involving the tech billionaire – who has clashed with the EU over the regulation of X and earlier this month became embroiled in a war of words with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The head of Brazil’s telecommunications agency, which has been tasked with suspending the platform, said he is “proceeding with the compliance” to do so, according to Reuters news agency.

Justice Moraes has given companies such as Apple and Google a five-day deadline to remove X from its application stores and block its use on iOS and Android systems.

He added that people or businesses using means such as VPNs (virtual private network) to access the platform could be fined R$50,000 (£6,700).

According to the judge’s order, a ban will be in effect until X names a new legal representative in the country and pays fines for violating Brazilian law.

In a previous post from one of its official accounts, X had said it would not comply with the demands.

“Soon, we expect Judge Alexandre de Moraes will order X to be shut down in Brazil – simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents,” the post said.

“The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that.”

Meanwhile, the bank accounts of Mr Musk’s satellite internet firm Starlink have been frozen in Brazil following an earlier order by the country’s Supreme Court.

Starlink responded with a post on X which said the “order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied – unconstitutionally – against X.”

Justice Moraes gained prominence after his decisions to restrict social media platforms in the country.

He is also investigating Mr Bolsonaro and his supporters for their roles in an alleged attempted coup on 8 January last year.

X is not the first social media company to come under pressure from authorities in Brazil.

Last year, Telegram was temporarily banned over its failure to cooperate with requests to block certain profiles.

Meta’s messaging service Whatsapp also faced temporary bans in 2015 and 2016 for refusing to comply with police requests for user data.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has implemented a new set of regulations to streamline the process of linking SIM cards with National Identification Numbers (NIN).

This aims to improve the procedures for registering SIM cards and linking National Identity Numbers (NINs) by addressing current shortcomings and introducing self-service alternatives.

Indeed, the new guidelines, outlined in the “Business Rules issued pursuant to the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulation,” support the National Identity Policy for SIM card registration and related activities initiated in 2022.

They include an order for all records of recycled SIMs to be cleared of any previously linked NINs, allowing new users to register and link their own NINs.

These updated rules cover a broad range of areas, including NIN-SIM registration database harmonization, new SIM activation and registration, pointed. There is also an option to appoint a Secondary or Operations Telecom Master. Both roles require detailed authorization letters, signed by C-Level staff, that include the registered names, official designations, and NINs of the respective Telecom Masters.

Also, for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) SIM registrations, only the NIN of the Primary Telecom Master is required. The authorization process demands a thorough vetting, including the submission of a CSV file detailing all associated SIMs, the NINs of each secondary user, and other relevant documents such as the Certificate of Incorporation and Tax Clearance Certificate.

The rules for foreign nationals residing in Nigeria for more than two years are that they must obtain a NIN for SIM registration and Mobile Number Portability (MNP). Those staying for less than two years are exempted from the mandatory NIN requirement but must present their International passport biodata and visa pages for SIM registration. Special provisions apply to diplomatic missions, with requirements for diplomatic passports and a Letter of Request from the Head of Mission.

The new rules also introduce a self-service option for resolving biometric mismatches, but this can only be conducted directly by the Communications Service Provider and is not available to agents or third parties. The self-service activities must adhere to strict standards, including operating in a properly lit environment, using a white or plain background for image capture, and ensuring that the process is managed by licensed agents in designated SIM card registration centers.

These updates aim to streamline the SIM registration and NIN linkage process, ensuring compliance and improving the overall efficiency of the telecommunications sector in Nigeria.

The Algorand Foundation has reiterated its dedication to supporting the Nigerian startup, tech, and developer ecosystems.

This year, the global organization supporting growth and adoption of the Algorand blockchain will expand its series of events, which include both professional education on blockchain as well as hackathons and workshops for startups and founders.

Nigeria is home to several successful startups and tech companies across fintech, AI, agritech, and more. In 2022, Disrupt Africa reported nearly 500 tech startups were operating in the country (source).
Algorand has launched several initiatives and collaborations to help strengthen the Nigerian ecosystem even further, aiming to provide education and other resources for founders and developers interested in blockchain and web3 technologies.

Country Head of Nigeria at the Algorand Foundation, Benjamin Onuoha in a statement said, “We are organizing events aimed at fostering digital literacy and blockchain expertise, especially among Nigerian youths.
“These events drive innovation by challenging participants to learn and develop blockchain solutions, offering mentorship, resources, and workshops. Winning teams often receive funding and support to scale their projects, connecting them with investors and accelerators.”

Onuoha highlighted the impact of these initiatives, saying, “The top three Nigerian startups from Algorand’s Global Hackathon in 2023 received up to $95,000 in cash prizes and Amazon infrastructure credits to support the development and deployment of their solutions. Beyond funding, we also have programs that provide platforms for startups to showcase their projects and pitch to potential investors.”

Google showed off a lot of impressive hardware at the Made by Google event this year, with new Pixel smartphones, earbuds, and smartwatches. But, the company’s Gemini AI model was arguably the real star, playing a central or supporting role in nearly every unveiled feature.

We’ve put together the most notable, interesting, and quirky ways Gemini will be a part of Google’s mobile future.

Gemini Live

The most up-front appearance of Gemini came in the form of Gemini Live, which, as the name implies, breathes life into the AI assistant and lets it act much more human. Not only can you talk casually to the Gemini without needing formal commands, but you can even interrupt its response and divert the conversation without having to start over. Plus, with ten new voice options and a better speech engine, Gemini Live is closer to a phone call with a friend/personal assistant than its more robotic forebears.

Pixel Studio

Google is using Gemini and its new smartphones to try to get an edge in the fast-growing AI image generation market with the Pixel Studio app. This text-to-image engine uses Gemini Nano on the smartphone to employ on-device and cloud models like Imagen 3 to create images faster than the standard web portals.

The app itself includes a menu for changing the style as well. The biggest caveat is that it won’t make human faces. Google didn’t say it’s because of controversy earlier this year, but it may also just be erring on the side of caution.

Another image-based AI feature Google announced is almost the inverse of the face-shy Pixel Studio. Add Me uses AI to create a (mostly) seamless group photo that includes the person taking the photo.

All it takes is for the photographer to switch out with someone else. Then, the AI will guide the new photographer on how to set up a second shot and composite the two images into a single image with everyone there.

Pixel Weather and more

Arguably, both the least necessary use of Gemini’s advanced AI and probably the most frequently used is the Pixel Weather app. The Gemini Nano AI model will produce customized weather reports fitting what the user wants to see in the app. It simplifies the customization in subtle but very real ways. There were plenty of other smaller AI highlights throughout the presentation as well.

For instance, Android users can overlay Gemini on their screens and ask questions about what’s visible. At the same time, the new Research with Gemini tool will tailor research reports to specific questions, probably mostly in academic settings. Other examples aren’t out just yet, but Android phones will soon be able to share what they find using the Circle to Search feature

The Galaxy S24 FE has once again made an appearance on a popular benchmark with the Exynos 2400 chip under the hood. The latest benchmark listing confirms that the Fan Edition phone will use Samsung’s in-house chip in its home country.

With Samsung using the Exynos and Snapdragon chips from the Galaxy S22 series for the Galaxy S23 FE instead of the Galaxy S23 series, fans of the Korean giant had been wondering if the Galaxy S24 FE would similarly sport year-old chips.

A Galaxy S24 FE benchmark from a couple of months back confirmed that wouldn’t be the case. The phone will use the same Exynos chip as the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+.

It makes sense, too: Samsung didn’t release a flagship Exynos chip in 2023, so the Exynos 2400 was the logical choice, as selling a high-end phone with a two-year-old chip would attract a lot of criticism.

But what about Snapdragon chips? Will the S24 FE use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in some markets, or at all? The Exynos 2400 is a fantastic chip, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is better, and many Samsung fans prefer buying Galaxy phones powered by Qualcomm chips.

There is no evidence for a Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S24 FE at this time, so we will have to wait and see what Samsung has in store for the audience it caters to with the Fan Edition lineup. If a Snapdragon variant is on the cards, it will likely be limited to a handful of countries, such as the US, Canada, and China.