Ict/Telecom
ECOWAS’ New Brown Cards To Tackle Faking
NIA-Logo in its efforts at
eradicating fake ECOWAS Brown Cards, the sub-regional Secretariat in Lome, Togo has standardized the operations of the scheme with the design of a new consensual brown card to be implemented from January 1, 2015.
A meeting of the scheme in the Togolese capital recently took critical look at the operation of the scheme and adopted measures to streamline the effective operation of the system in member countries.
According to the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) 2013-2014 yearly report, the scheme is modeled after the Green Card scheme in Europe, Pink Card in Central African sub-region and yellow card scheme in the Arab countries sub-region.
The report explained that in order to reduce the time for claims processing, an on line claims management software is being designed by the secretariat.
Some of the challenges confronting the ECOWAS Brown Card scheme, the report said, include the need to review the Brown Card protocol in line with current realities.
Besides, the National Bureau has continued to face challenges in Cross Border Claims Management, including delay in claims payment, issues with the police formation of some member countries, and inability to get motorists released especially in cases involving loss of life.
According to sources at NIA, “The major challenge facing the brown card system is that of fake holders, we have more fake brown cards in the system than the genuine ones. When we say that, we speak in terms of the Nigerian experience, because we have found that the way the Brown Card is treated varies from country to country within the sub-region. There are countries once you buy comprehensive insurance or third party, automatically they sell the Brown Card to you, so that everybody who get a certificate of insurance gets the Brown Card too, whether you want to travel or not.
“But in Nigeria, we do not sell unless you need it, that is only when you want to travel outside Nigeria that you come to buy the Brown Card, but unlike the ordinary motor certificate, which is not checked whether you want to take your vehicle across the frontiers, the Brown Card is part of the documents that they will check.”
Besides, most people do not know about the Brown Card until they get to the borders and they are so many touts around the borders that sell fake ECOWAS Brown Card to them to continue their journey.
Another challenge, the source said, is that of language barrier, adding, “the language barrier has not really enhance the issue of ECOWAS Brown Card, equally, we have had problems with the law enforcement agencies, even in Nigeria, when somebody comes from another country and is involved in an accident, despite our intervention from Nigerian National Bureau and explained the procedures and all that sometimes, the law enforcement agents do not co-operate with us they will insist on the foreigner paying before they release vehicles.
“These are the challenges we have had to face. Most Nigerians who are affluent and insure their cars properly don’t really like to travel by road, most Nigerian companies have not paid attention to it and it is only when your major client wants to travel, they come to you and we sell this document for them, but the vast majority of those who travel along the road regularly are those who patronize these touts for their third party certificates”.
Ict/Telecom
Nigeria Set To Host International Conference On Biotechnology
The Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, has disclosed that Nigeria will be hosting International Conference on Biotechnology in June.
Mustapha, who made the disclosure recently in an interview with The Tide’s source in Abuja, said the conference would take place in June, adding that the agency was determined to introduce new things for the benefit of Nigerians.
“That is why we are organising this international conference where people across the globe will showcase what they are doing in their various countries in biotechnology. NABDA will also showcase what we are doing and had been doing to engage all our people in the country”, he said.
According to him, the conference would offer a platform where industries, private organisations, universities and others would have the opportunity to showcase their works.
The Director-General said the conference would be tailored around environment, industry, agriculture, genomics and bioinformatics as well as health.
Mustapha disclosed that he had inaugurated a committee toward organising the conference, adding that it had started work.
“The Nigerian policy on biotechnology was prepared in 2000, and I have seen that its about time to effect a change.
“This is imperative because the world is moving fast from what was regarded as the norm to a certain level of precision and accuracy in terms of investigations and deliverables”, he added.
He continued that Nigeria could meet up with advanced countries’ biotechnology as it could boast of scientists and experts.
“Whatever document we are going to produce is going to look at Nigeria and its projects in the next five to 20 years. This policy is what will drive Nigeria’s biotechnology to success”, he said.
Ict/Telecom
Expert Tasks Female Journalists On Content Creation
A digital media expert, Mr. Chimodo Paul, has charged female journalists in Rivers State to generate good contents in order to carve a niche for themselves in journalism.
He gave the charge at a one-day capacity building workshop held last Thursday, at the NUJ Press Center, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The workshop, tagged, “Maximizing New Media Platforms: Upscaling Digital, Entrepreneur Skills of Journalists”, was organised by the Step-up for Women in Journalism Initiative (SWIJ), with support from Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council.
Paul urged the women to upscale their digital skills in order to enable them improve their career prospects and earning potentials.
He expressed dismay that ego had prevented some veteran journalists from upscaling their digital skills, which, he said, had deprived them from reaching their full potentials and becoming visible in the present new media era.
He also urged those stucked in old fashion media to start maximizing the social media tools.
The women was further challenged to invest in themselves by acquiring good digital gadgets, subscribe to online trainings, sponsor their good contents on social media platforms.
“Most journalists do not know how to maximize the new media platforms yet. Ego and pride is not allowing them to learn digital tools. This is the major reason they are where they are and it’s not helping to build and improve professional competence in this new media era”, he said.
He insisted that journalists must identify the social media tools that aligns with their line of job and build presence on it to gain from opportunities that abound from such tools.
“Social media has made it easier for journalists to collaborate on stories with other journalists, photographers, and videographers. Collaborations can help journalists reach a wider audience, tell more complex stories”, he stated.
Ict/Telecom
Expert Wants Telcos To Prioritise Improved QoS
A Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy Advisor, Mr. Jide Awe, has urged telecommunication operators to give priority to improving Quality of Services (QoS).
Awe, who is also the Founder of Jidaw.com, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos State, recently.
He said it was necessary to improve the current poor QoS using strategic investment in infrastructure to support current and future needs.
Awe said the future needs included increased number of users and increased traffic volumes of transactions among others.
“Customer journey has evolved significantly over the years, largely influenced by the advancements in telecommunications technology.
“Customers now expect seamless and uninterrupted connectivity across multiple touchpoints, be it through their smartphones, laptops, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices”, he said.
Awe also noted that the telecoms industry was plagued with right-of-way charges, multiple taxation, and insecurity of telecoms infrastructure.
According to him, addressing these challenges is essential for consumer protection to ensure QoS standards are met, and that consumers receive the promised level of service quality.
The policy advisor added that solving the issues would also help in promoting affordable broadband services.
On the role of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) as a regulator, he said the NCC needed to adopt an innovative, supportive, and visionary regulation approach that appreciated the importance of innovation and expansion.
“As new technologies continue to emerge, regulation cannot afford to be static. NCC should inculcate a spirit of innovation and growth in the sector.
“Innovative regulation helps to cultivate an environment that attracts investment to propel sectoral growth. Investor-friendly initiatives, simplification of regulations, strategic and disruptive thinking/approaches are crucial”, he said.
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