StartupsNigeria has set the goal of breaking through the Alexa Top 100 000 websites in the world by December 31, 2008. The site which has witnessed a surge in its traffic within the past two months attributes this increase to its new features including interviews, advice, community on Facebook and LinkedIn as well as social media sites.

StartupsNigeria is a tech news blog for startups, mobile apps and web technologies that are making a buzz around the new media space, with a special focus on Nigeria. The blog which was launched about 6 months ago has gotten the attention of several social media players and blogs and has also been reviewed by a few sites. Some of them are: White African, StartupAfrica, Sturvs, Kabissa, African Trade Hub, Notjustok, TechMASAI, Naijagal. The site also appears on the blogroll of several sites around Africa.

We hope to break through Alexa Top 100 000 websites by December 31, 2008, and are asking for your support to achieve this goal.  We are poised to become a world-class tech/media blog that covers technology and innovation out of Nigeria. You can subscibe to our feeds.

Update: StartupsNigeria’s Alexa traffic rank is at 180,429. View latest here

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Last week, I wrote an article here about a Web 2.0 Blogs Aggregator for Nigeria, and this got some reactions from a few social media players. (See comments on the post here). I must admit that I didn’t realise that Nigeria had a blogs aggregator, NigerianBloggers.com, and when it was pointed to me, I decided to take a close look at the site. The site was created by Kayode Muyibi of Nairahost.

At first glance, I didn’t think the site was web 2.0ish enough even though it was built under an open source package called Gregarious as well as web applications such as XHTML 1.0 and CSS 2.0. So my argument was that if the site must be considered a Web 2.0 blogs aggregator, then it had to have most of the features of similar sites around the world. Features such as stats, charts, widgets, badges and other tools.

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After the success of the launch of NigcomSat-1 in May 2007, Nigeria is set to launch two other satellites - NigcomSat-2 and NigcomSat-3.

Nigeria’s satellite company, NigComSat manages and operates the first geostationary communication satellite in sub-Saharan Africa, NigcomSat-1, which was launched physically from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China’s southwest Sichuan Province, and uses China’s Dongfanghong IV carrier as a telecommunication and broadcasting platform.

The satellite which was launched in May 2007 based on a contract signed in December 2004 between Nigeria and China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) was later handed over to the Nigerian government in July 2007 after several days of in-orbit adjustments and tests and the installation of two ground stations.

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Today, I’m featuring an interview with Seun Osewa, founder of Nairaland, Nigeria’s largest online forum and discussion portal which currently ranks 16th on the Alexa Top 100 sites in Nigeria. The site which started in 2005 has grown to become the most popular site in Nigeria.

In this interview, Seun Osewa talks about his site, which he sees as a personal website, rather than a start-up.

SN: Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests?

Seun: I’m Seun Osewa, 26 year old webmaster and aspiring film-maker.

SN: What is the name of your blog/start-up/company?

Seun: The Nairaland Forum located at http://www.nairaland.com

SN: Please tell us about your blog/start-up/company?

Seun: Nairaland is a discussion forum for Nigerians. A place to ask questions and get useful answers on any topic of interest. It also has a very vibrant job section.

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The new wave of crime on the web called ‘cybercrime’ which has been a threat to Internet safety in Nigeria has gotten the attention of the world’s largest software company, Microsoft.

In a campaign called “The Internet Safety, Security and Privacy Initiative for Nigeria (ISSPIN), Microsoft is partnering with Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), a social enterprise that seeks to help deliver ICT for socio-economic opportunities in Nigeria. The US$50,000 campaign is sponsored by PIN and Microsoft in partnership with the Computer Professionals’ Registration Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigerian Internet Registration Association, Planet One Entertainment and Teledom Group.

This partnership will educate the Nigeria’s youth on cybercrime and provide opportunities for them to use their computer skills positively, thus providing technical training, investigative and forensic assistance and new technology tools to combat cybercrime.

My Opinion

I think that Microsoft’s involvement in the issue of cybercrime in Nigeria has come at a very critical period when there is an increase in mobile web usage in Africa and Nigeria as well as online payment platforms around the world.

My hope is that the campaign will help create a better image of Nigeria on the Internet and thus provide great opportunities for Nigerians to conduct online businesses legitimately.