The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has announced the list of companies receiving the NiRA awards for this year. The final selection was made after the shortlisted nominees were voted for by the public on the NiRA website.
The award recognises and encourages sites on the internet that carry out activities which show positive images of Nigeria with the ‘.ng’ extension. The selected nominees are given access to the .ng awards icon which are made available in various sizes and formats and can be included on their websites. The icons also act as marketing collateral.
We acknowledge the great work being done within the ecosystem and desire the populace to know about it, talk about it, engage with it and put it into the spotlight. Our annual .ng Awards are open to any organization or individual whose activity online is outstanding, using the .ng domain name.
—NiRA
The sites that were awarded include Wallet.ng, an online payment platform that allows the user to easily send money to mobile money accounts in Ghana and Kenya. The site also allows users pay for Netflix subscription, shopping on Amazon, checking out at Shoprite by using the Wallets virtual dollar card. Their physical debit card works everywhere according to the company.
Other awardees include the Lagos State Government which won in the Digital Innovation Category for its investment in technology. The category promotes innovation and local content development among all the states in the country.
Other categories in the award include Best Local Hosting Company, Most Innovative Service Provider Online and Startup Company of the year which was won by GigaLayer. The startup provides platforms for web hosting and domain names among other services in a bid to make it easier for businesses in Africa and around the world to expand their reach using their tools and services that are specifically and carefully designed for achieving online success.
The NiRA awards are organised by the Not-for-Profit association which is established by the order of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria to manage Nigeria’s Country Code Top Level Domain.