In early 2006, there were several reports on the web that Google selected Abuja, Nigeria as one of about seven African cities the company will fully connect with a wireless network. [Note: There was no Google official statement to confirm this].

Although, Google may have proposed to create a citywide Wi-Fi network for San Francisco, I’m wondering when Google’s interest in Africa meant that Abuja city had been earmarked for a wireless connection.

ThisDay reported:

Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has stated that world renowned Internet search technology giant, Google, has selected Abuja as one of about seven African cities to be fully connected with wireless network.

Where did she state this?

Engadget reported:

According to reports, Google plans to bring wireless internet access to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, along with six other African cities. The deal was announced by Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who said that it was confirmed in a meeting she had with CEO Eric Schmidt.

Where is the official report?

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MTN Nigeria, the leading telecommunications company has become the first to launch Google’s Free SMS Search for its over 20 million subscribers in Nigeria. When Google launched the service for Nigeria and Ghana in January, we were the first to cover the story in Nigeria and we thought it would be a great service.

The service was exhibited at the MTN INNOVATION DAY at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. I was at the event for two reasons: To meet with Les Brown, one of my mentors and to witness firsthand MTN’s innovative products.

What is Google SMS from MTN?

Google SMS is a mini version of Google search via your MTN mobile phone. It is an SMS-based search which does not require you to have any Internet connection. Google SMS allows you to find the definition of words, get news headlines, sports information and more all via SMS. The search is keyword-based, so you need to use words that can easily get you good results.

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Google has capitalised on the recent mobile penetration in Nigeria to launch a test of Google SMS Search which provides access to information via your mobile phone.

You simply create an SMS message about what you are looking for and send it to the Google number (4664 or “GOOG”) and wait for a response by SMS. The service is currently free from Google, but mobile charges do apply from your network operator.

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By now, it’s almost clear to everyone that the world’s largest search engine, Google plans to rule the world. If you are not yet aware of that, perhaps Google’s newest search pages in Nigerian languages, Hausa and Yoruba should be a testimony.

Today, I just noticed something strange about the Google Nigeria page, and I was curious. That’s when I saw this phrase:

Google.com.ng offered in: Hausa, Yorùbá

At first, I thought it was a fluke, not because Google lacks translation skills, but because I was wondering what Google has to do with Hausa or Yoruba language.  Not that I didn’t know that Google also offers search pages in Afrikaans, Sesotho, IsiZulu and  IsiXhosa all South African languages.

I quickly ran a search for a Yoruba word (since that’s what I understand better), and was amazed at the results the new Google search page provided. You’ll also find that the term ‘Nigeria’ is Naìjírìà for Yoruba and Nijeriya for Hausa.

Nigeria has over 500 languages, and based on population, the Yoruba language records 18.8 million users, and Hausa records 18.5 million users, while Igbo language records 18 million, according to Wikipedia.

It would be interesting to see Google offering an Igbo language search page in the nearest future. Until then, we are happy that Google has recognised two local Nigerian languages for its search interests.

It’s no longer news that Google has been busy setting a presence in Africa with the hope to engage the well-educated, technically savvy student populace in Africa, as well as African academia more broadly.

Google has recently announced that they are looking for people with outstanding technical skills, creativity, potential and passion to help invent end-to-end technologies from scratch; stuff that will interest and inspire millions of users across the world.

To be eligible for a Google internship, you should be enrolled in a BS, MS or PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field and be within 12-18 months of completing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, or at any stage in your PhD.

The following are also key requirements:

1. Experience in systems software or algorithms
2. Excellent programming skills (C++; Java and/or Python)
3. Knowledge of UNIX/Linux or Windows environments and APIs
4. Familiarity with TCP/IP and network programming a plus
5. Fluency in English

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