Here’s All That Went Down at Google For Nigeria 2018

Google for Nigeria 2018 event has come and has gone. And if we must say, this year’s edition was pretty amazing just like the first and big ups to Google for supporting and pushing forward the frontiers of technology in Africa.

Basically, the two-day event was created to bring together creators, innovators, tech-preneurs business owners, and anyone with a digital business in Nigeria to discuss the latest improvements by Google to users and help make productivity and connectivity in Africa easier, better and faster.

The event which held at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos hosted the creme de la creme of technology and lifestyle; and had lots exciting moments and every Google users, tech-preneurs, and other stakeholders were all present for an exciting session and masterclasses.

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Let’s quickly share with you some important announcements and sessions that caught our attention during the event.

Google Launches Free Wi-Fi Hotspots Across Nigeria

Google together with Nigerian fiber cable network provider 21st Century launched its first public Wi-Fi service in Nigeria called Google Station. The free Wi-Fi service will be available in six places in the commercial capital Lagos, including the city’s airport.

Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, announced this during her presentation at the event. The five public locations for the hot-spot in Lagos are; Unilag Campus, Computer Village, Ikeja; Muritala Mohammed Airport Wing 2, Ikeja City Mall, and the Palms, Lekki.

According to Ehimuan-Chiazor, Google’s plan is to roll-out 200 Google Stations across five cities in the country by 2019. These include Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Abuja and will cater for more than 10 million Nigerians.

The company said it aimed to collaborate with internet service providers to reach millions of Nigerians in 200 public spaces across five cities by the end of 2019.

Google Optimized Its Search for Job Seekers

The tech giant also announced that it has made search more effective with the new Job search unveiled in March in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, and is now rolling out in 29 new countries.

The platform will provide users a detailed skills assessment, and potential job types that align with their aptitudes, and routes that they can take to gain the skills and experiences necessary to switch careers.

Google Street View Will Now Cover More States in Nigeria.

Additionally, Google announced that they are planning to extend the Google Street View to eight new cities in Nigeria in addition to Lagos. These new cities include Kano, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Benin City, Abuja, and Onitsha.

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And guess what, you can now virtually tour the National Museum in Lagos, Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, the Millennium Park in Abuja, Lekki Conservation Centre and some other tourists centres in Nigeria all from your phone with the new Google Place feature.

Google Go Updated Version

Google announced the update of several products from its “Go”, which was launched in the past year. The Go initiative aims to give users with low bandwidth connections and low-RAM devices the best possible Google experience. The new features include:

Google Go: the feature reads web pages out loud and highlights each word so the user can follow along. The aim is to make it easier for users to use browse, even on low-RAM smartphones or unstable network connections. Google Go will be available for a lot of internet pages and in 28 languages in the coming weeks.

YouTube Go: Also, you can now watch and download YouTube videos with less data.

Google Maps Go: will now provide users with turn-by-turn directions, whether they’re traveling by car, by bus or on foot.

Google Files Go: is a file management and file transfer application released by Google and currently available on the Android platform. Files Go has a built-in file transfer service that works seamlessly, and it doesn’t need your phone to be connected to the internet. Like other services that offer the feature, Files Go sets up a hotspot that two devices can connect to, allowing files to be transferred between the two phones.

Android Go: Launched in Nigeria and 29 other African countries earlier this year, the Go OS gives people coming online for the first time a powerful and reliable smartphone experience. Across Africa, Transsion, Nokia, Huawei, and Mobicel have launched various devices, starting at just over 17,000 Naira.

And Guess What, Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Was At The Event

Prof. Osinbajo and his convoy came in for the event in the afternoon of day one and delivered an address where he spoke on “How government leverages on Digital Technology to create change”. He stressed that “all the gaps created by exclusion and inequality can be breached with technology.”

He also promised Nigerians that “the government will be partnering with Google and other technology providers to achieve the level of connectivity that will match the creativity of our people.”

Before he took his leave, the Vice President also took time to interact and network with young Nigerians in the tech space.

This is a laudable initiative from Google and with the launch of the latest features of their products, we believe it will make lifestyle better and improve productivity for many Nigerians and indeed across Africa.