MANUAL SOFTWARE TESTING AND AUTOMATED SOFTWARE TESTING

Hello everyone. This article is for aspiring young lads who are looking to venture into tech and have been thinking about where to start from. Software testing is a branch of software development that deals with testing an application before it is launched to the market. Basically, the word “testing”, you will be testing software that developers have worked on. We all know that a product cannot go into the market without it being tested thoroughly hence, the word “tester”. A software tester tests a software or a web application to ensure every part, features, buttons and links of the software functions properly and according to the laid down strategy.

Like I said earlier, software testing is a branch of software development. So, a software tester is the one who tests the features, functionality and performance of a software or web application before it’s been launched to the market.  Now, there are two types of software testing and they are manual and automated software testing and today this article will be focusing on these two types of software testing. We will be discussing which one is better between the two, which one’s most efficient and which of them should you  start your career in and to do that we will define both separately then go in to the difference.

What is Manual Testing?

Manual Testing is a type of Software Testing where Tester(s) are required to manually execute test cases without using any automation tool(s). Manual Testing is the most primitive of all testing types and helps find bugs in the software system. A new application or update must be manually tested before its testing can be automated. Manual Testing requires more effort but is necessary to check automation feasibility. Manual Testing does not require knowledge of any testing tool. One of the Software Testing Fundamental is "100% Automation is not possible". This makes Manual Testing imperative

What is Automation Testing?

In Automated Software Testing, testers write code/test scripts to automate test execution. Testers use appropriate automation tools to develop the test scripts and validate the software. The goal is to complete test execution in a less amount of time. Automated testing entirely relies on the pre-scripted test which runs automatically to compare actual result with the expected results. This helps the tester to determine whether or not an application performs as expected. Automated testing helps to execute repetitive task and regression test without the intervention of manual tester. Even though all processes are performed automatically, automation requires some manual effort to create initial testing scripts

To make it easier for you to understand, let me 

differentiate them like this:

➢ Manual testing: test cases are executed by a human tester and software.

➢ Automation testing: test cases use automation tools to execute test cases.

➢ Manual Testing: is time-consuming and takes up human resources.

➢ Automation Testing: is significantly faster than a manual approach.

➢ Manual Testing: Exploratory testing is possible in Manual Testing

➢ Automation Testing: Automation does not allow random testing

➢ Manual Testing: Small changes like change in id, class, etc. of a button wouldn't thwart execution of a manual tester.

➢ Automation Testing: For even a trivial change in the UI of the AUT, Automated Test Scripts need to be modified to work as expected

 

Manual Testing Pros and Cons

Pros of Manual Testing: Get fast and accurate visual feedback It is less expensive as you don't need to spend your budget for the automation tools and process Human judgment and intuition always benefit the manual element While testing a small change, an automation test would require coding which could be time-consuming. While you could test manually on the fly

Cons of Manual Testing: Less reliable testing method because it's conducted by a human. Therefore, it is always prone to mistakes & errors. The manual testing process can't be recorded, so it is not possible to reuse the manual test. In this testing method, certain tasks are difficult to perform manually which may require an additional time of the software testing phase. i.e Load Testing, Regression Testing. 90%

Automation Testing Pros and Cons

Pros of Automation Testing: Automated testing helps you to find more bugs compare to a human tester As most of the part of the testing process is automated, you can have a speedy and efficient process Automation process can be recorded. This allows you to reuse and execute the same kind of testing operations Automated testing is conducted using software tools, so it works without tiring and fatigue unlike humans in manual testing It can easily increase productivity because it provides fast & accurate testing result Automated testing support various applications Testing coverage can be increased because of automation testing tool never forget to check even the smallest unit

Cons of Automation Testing: Without human element, it's difficult to get insight into visual aspects of your UI like colors, font, sizes, contrast or button sizes. The tools to run automation testing can be expensive, which may increase the cost of the testing project. Automation testing tool is not yet foolproof. Every automation tool has their limitations which reduces the scope of automation. Debugging the test script is another major issue in the automated testing. Test maintenance is costly.

Which one should you go for?

Speaking from my own experience and perspective, I will say you should go for both. I analyze it like this; every web developer or web designer was once a graphics designer or a UI/UX designer but upskilled themselves to the position of a web developer.  So now, speaking in line with our topic, I will it’s best you start out as a manual tester then go for automation texting skills afterwards. Both is actually needed in the industry trust me, so I will say go for both skills. Learn manual testing and when you are done start automation testing.  And I will encourage tech schools to always focus on the two, don’t just tech one out of the two but rather focus on the two for the betterment of the student.  Using myself as an example, I am both a manual and automation software tester, So, why not be like me?

Conclusion

Software testing skills are skills required if you are considering to start a career as a tester or a quality assurance engineer. You need them both to increase your chances of being at the top of your career in the industry. And like I stated above, start with manual testing skills then move in to automation immediately. Do not learn one without learning the other. Next time I will be talking about tools and programming skills you need for automation testing. See you in my next article. Cheers!!!

“How African Creators can Earn More of the Value They Create” — Excluvia Founder Kanyin Palmer

 Kanyin Palmer, Founder and Product Owner of Excluvia, has called for African creators to retain more of the economic value generated by their content, knowledge and communities as the continent’s creator economy continues to expand.

“African creators are already creating enormous value through the audiences and communities they build. The next step is making sure more of that value returns to the people creating it,” Kanyin said.

His position reflects a growing concern around what happens after creators attract an audience. While views, followers and engagement can create visibility, they do not always give creators enough control over how that attention becomes income.

For Kanyin, the next stage of Africa’s creator economy should focus less on audience size alone and more on giving creators the infrastructure to build sustainable businesses around the communities they have already created.

“The talent was never the problem. The plumbing was. We built the plumbing,” Kanyin said.

That philosophy sits at the centre of Excluvia, an African creator-economy platform he founded in 2025 to give creators more direct ways to earn from their work.

The platform brings subscriptions, digital products, online courses, livestreaming and virtual gifting into one creator account, allowing creators to develop different income streams around the same audience.

The approach is also designed to reduce dependence on a single source of creator income.

According to Kanyin, a creator who has built trust around a skill, subject or body of work should also develop paid offerings around that relationship instead of relying mainly on advertising revenue or waiting for the next commercial partnership.

The organisation further noted that this is closely connected to creator ownership. The platform allows creators to build communities and maintain direct relationships with subscribers while selling products or offering paid access within the same environment. This gives creators more control over how the commercial value surrounding their work develops.

“Ownership is not only about having followers. It is about having a direct relationship with the people who value your work and being able to build income around that relationship on your own terms,” Kanyin added.

That control also extends to how creators receive their earnings.

The platform supports payments from audiences in currencies including naira, pounds, dollars and euros, while Nigerian creators can receive payouts directly into local bank accounts in naira. The company’s structure is designed to allow creators to reach paying audiences beyond their immediate market without making access to those earnings unnecessarily difficult.

Another part of the model is lowering the barrier to monetisation.

Excluvia does not position creator income as something reserved only for people with enormous follower numbers. Creators with smaller but engaged communities can begin building paid relationships around the value they provide without waiting to reach a particular level of online popularity.

That becomes more important as the definition of creator success continues to change.

Large audiences can still open doors, but the ability to turn a smaller engaged community into recurring subscriptions, product sales, course purchases or direct support can create another path to building a creator business.

Livestreaming forms part of that wider strategy. Excluvia has further connected live sessions to virtual gifting and the broader creator ecosystem, making it easier for audiences to support creators during live interactions while remaining connected through communities, subscriptions and other forms of creator commerce after the broadcast.

The aim, Kanyin said, is to keep more of the economic relationship between creator and audience connected to the creator’s own business.

“Creators should not have to wait until they become internet celebrities before they can start earning. If people already value what you create, there should be practical ways to turn that relationship into income and build from there,” he added.

This also shapes how Excluvia approaches creator earnings. The company says its model is designed to allow creators to retain a large share of what they generate through their content, products, communities and live interactions.

Since its founding, Excluvia has attracted more than 30,000 platform registrations and is available across web, iOS and Android as it builds its presence in Nigeria and looks toward wider African expansion.

That growth places the company within a broader conversation about what ownership should mean in Africa’s creator economy.

Creators already produce content that travels across countries, influences purchasing decisions and builds communities around shared interests. The next question is how much of the value created around that influence returns to the people responsible for it.

For Kanyin, that is the gap Excluvia was built to address.

The future of Africa’s creator economy will not depend only on producing more creators or generating more online attention. It will also depend on giving creators greater control over how their work earns, how their communities develop and how much of the value created around those relationships ultimately returns to them.

 

 

Babatunde140 and Noku Dlamini Share Message of Unity on ‘Ubuntu’

Babatunde140 and Noku Dlamini share a powerful message of unity through ‘Ubuntu’, a soulful Afro-fusion collaboration inspired by community and human connection.

Afro-fusion artiste Babatunde140 has teamed up with Noku Dlamini on “Ubuntu,” a soulful collaboration inspired by the African philosophy of Ubuntu — “I am because we are.”

The song, which blends rich African rhythms with heartfelt vocals, delivers a message centred on unity, human connection and the importance of community.

“Ubuntu” is scheduled for release on October 7, 2026, and will be available across major streaming platforms through Prime Music Partners.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Babatunde140 said, “Ubuntu is a reminder that none of us exists in isolation. Our strength comes from the people around us, the connections we create and the way we support one another.”

He added, “With this song, we wanted to celebrate that sense of togetherness and remind listeners of the power that comes when people come together as a community.”

Through its sound and lyrical direction, “Ubuntu” celebrates the strength that comes from people supporting and standing by one another, while highlighting the shared experiences that connect individuals and communities.

Rather than focusing solely on individual identity, the track explores the idea that people draw strength from the relationships they build and the communities they belong to.

With its fusion of African-inspired rhythms and an uplifting message, “Ubuntu” brings Babatunde140 and Noku Dlamini together in a celebration of togetherness, connection and collective strength ahead of its October 7 release.

Fertility and Family Building: Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum Heads to Abuja and London

 Goodnews for mothers in Nigeria as One of Africa's trusted platform Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum recently concluded the Fertility Choices Women’s Brunch in Abuja and is preparing to bring its programme of practical education on assisted parenthood to London in October.

The Fertility Choices Women’s Brunch took place on 19 September 2026 in Abuja and online. The Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum UK will follow from 16 to 17 October 2026 at Coram Campus in central London, with online participation also available.

Organised by Ôka’mara Law & Consulting, the programmes bring together medical, legal and emotional perspectives on fertility treatment, fertility preservation, donor conception, surrogacy and adoption.

Both events form part of the Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum, an education and advocacy initiative created to address the information gap facing people navigating infertility and different paths to parenthood.

Fertility Choices Women’s Brunch, Abuja

The Abuja brunch provided a private setting in which women could gain a clearer understanding of their fertility and the decisions they may face at different stages of life.

Discussions covered fertility investigations, fertility preservation, assisted conception and future reproductive choices. The programme encouraged women to learn about their options before facing a fertility crisis, equipping them to ask better questions and make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

It also created space for conversations that women may find difficult to have openly because of the stigma, social expectations and cultural sensitivities surrounding fertility in Nigeria.

“Women should not have to wait for a fertility crisis before learning about their fertility choices,” the Forum said.

The hybrid format extended the programme to women who could not attend physically in Abuja, including Nigerians living overseas.

Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum UK

Following the Abuja programme, the Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum UK will bring the conversation to London for Nigerians in the diaspora, Nigeria-connected families and professionals involved in international family-building journeys.

The two-day hybrid event will focus on surrogacy, donor conception and adoption, including the legal and practical issues that arise when a family-building journey crosses national borders.

Participants will receive practical information about legal parenthood, safeguarding, documentation, birth registration and the steps involved in returning home with a child after completing part of a fertility, surrogacy or adoption journey in Nigeria.

The programme will feature a Surrogacy Practitioners Roundtable on managing international surrogacies from Nigeria. The session will enable professionals to examine arrangements that begin in Nigeria but have legal and practical consequences in other countries.

A Nigerian Documentation Workshop will also examine the legal and administrative processes behind documents used in adoption and post-surrogacy matters. Topics will include adoption procedures within Nigeria’s federal system, parenthood following surrogacy, birth registration and the limits of post-surrogacy court orders.

Fertility clinicians, lawyers, counsellors, adoption specialists, fertility support professionals and people with lived experience will contribute to the sessions, presenting assisted parenthood as a complete journey rather than solely a medical procedure.

The Forum was conceived by Undiga Emuekpere, Principal Partner of Ôka’mara Law & Consulting, following her work with intending parents, fertility professionals and families involved in cross-border reproductive journeys. That experience highlighted the need for clearer and better-coordinated information across the medical, legal and emotional aspects of assisted parenthood.

The Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum is endorsed by the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health. It also works in institutional partnership with the Fertility Support Professionals Association and Coram IAC, the United Kingdom’s specialist international adoption organisation.

Further information about the London programme and participation options is available on the Nigeria Assisted Parenthood Forum website.

For enquiries, email ngforum@okamaralaw.com or contact the Forum through WhatsApp.

Education for informed and safe journeys.

 

 

Nollywood Actress Queeneth Agbor Seeks Support for Cross River Inmate Charity Programme

     

Nollywood actress and humanitarian, Queeneth Agbor, has commenced engagements with key stakeholders in Cross River State as part of efforts to mobilise support for her forthcoming charity and empowerment programme for inmates of the Calabar Custodial Centre.

Agbor, through the Queeneth Agbor Strength Beyond Walls Foundation, is scheduled to host the special empowerment and rehabilitation programme for inmates on October 9, 2026.

In preparation for the initiative, the actress embarked on a series of courtesy visits to prominent individuals and institutions in the state, including the First Lady of Cross River State, Bishop Dr Eyoanwan Itam Bassey Otu, government officials, correctional authorities, traditional and community stakeholders, Callywood, media organisations, corporate bodies and potential sponsors, including **SSG Prof Anthony Owan-Enoh**.

The visits, according to Agbor, are aimed at bringing together individuals, government institutions and private organisations to support the initiative and make the intervention more impactful.

During her meeting with the First Lady, Agbor presented the vision behind the programme and sought her support for the planned intervention.

The First Lady commended the actress for her humanitarian efforts and encouraged her to continue using her platform to support people in need.

She also applauded Agbor for taking up humanitarian work at a young age and for extending her efforts to people behind correctional walls.

Agbor also met with the Chairman of Akamkpa Local Government Area, Hon Felix Akposi, as part of her stakeholder engagement ahead of the programme.

Akposi expressed support for the initiative, noting that Agbor had continued to maintain strong ties with her place of origin despite the demands of her career.

He said, “I am particularly impressed that despite the demands of her career, she has created a niche around restoring hope, empowering lives and creating second chances for people behind the walls. This makes Akamkpa proud.”

He added that Agbor’s continued interest in issues affecting her community demonstrated her appreciation for her roots.

“She has not allowed her success to sever her connection with home. Her continued interest in the affairs of her place of origin demonstrates genuine love, appreciation and respect for her roots,” he said.

At the Nigerian Correctional Service, Cross River State, Agbor also held discussions with the Controller of Corrections, Aniekan Archibong Nya, and the Assistant Controller of Corrections in charge of Operations, ACC Gregory Abua.

The correctional authorities commended the foundation for its interest in the welfare and rehabilitation of inmates and encouraged Agbor to sustain the initiative.

Abua said the proposed programme would contribute to boosting the morale of inmates and reinforcing the message of hope and rehabilitation.

He said, “We appreciate the Strength Beyond Walls Foundation for its compassion and willingness to contribute to the transformation of lives behind the walls. We are optimistic that this visit will mark the beginning of a stronger and more impactful partnership between the foundation and the Nigerian Correctional Service in Cross River State.”

Agbor also met with the Commissioner for Welfare, Bishop Margaret Ene Ita, who applauded the initiative and commended the actress for reaching out to people in correctional facilities.

Bishop Ita said, “It is commendable to see Queeneth allowing God to use her to touch lives behind the walls and give people a second chance.”

The actress further engaged the Chairman of Callywood, Mr Eric Anderson, who endorsed the initiative and expressed support for Agbor’s humanitarian efforts.

Anderson commended the actress for making the entertainment industry proud through her commitment to humanitarian causes.

The stakeholder engagements form part of Agbor’s efforts to secure wider support for the October 9 programme, which is expected to go beyond feeding inmates to include empowerment, rehabilitation, talent development and other forms of support.

The initiative follows Agbor’s widely publicised birthday outreach last year, during which she fed about 1,000 inmates at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre in Lagos.

Explaining her decision to bring the initiative to Cross River, Agbor described it as a homecoming and an extension of her belief that charity should begin at home.

She said, “This is more than a birthday celebration for me. It is about bringing hope, dignity and a second chance to people who are behind the walls. People may have made mistakes, but their mistakes should not permanently define their future.”

She called on government institutions, corporate organisations, individuals and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the programme and help make the intervention more impactful.

According to her, the planned programme is intended to demonstrate that people in correctional facilities can still rebuild their lives, develop useful skills and contribute positively to society after incarceration.

Still Play: Utili Loci Introduces Data-Driven Model for Responsible Betting in Nigeria

  As Nigeria’s sports betting industry continues its rapid expansion, it faces mounting scrutiny over consumer protection, problem gambling, and the financial exposure of retail bettors. In response, fintech developer Utili Loci Ltd has unveiled a data-driven infrastructure model designed to redefine responsible gaming by combining controlled short-term credit, automated spending caps, and real-time behavioral tracking.

Known as Still Play, the platform provides a shared architecture that betting operators, telecommunications companies, financial institutions, and regulatory authorities can leverage to monitor wagering activity and mitigate systemic financial risks. Developed independently without government or regulatory sponsorship, the platform embeds responsible gaming mechanisms directly into the betting transaction itself.

To address the limitations of applying foreign gambling frameworks to the Nigerian market, the development team adopted an inductive analytical approach—building a new theorem and operational model directly from ground-up empirical data rather than relying on a pre-existing blueprint.

The model's empirical foundation rests on a comprehensive, mixed-methods pilot survey of 11,112 active respondents across eight states. The study utilized cluster sampling to select target geographic states, followed by purposive sampling to administer questionnaires. Commercial hubs Lagos and Abuja represented 26.3% of respondents each (52.6% combined), with the remaining 47.4% spread across Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Rivers, Nasarawa, and Kaduna. Demographic findings revealed that 81.6% of participants were young adults aged 18 to 29, while 73.7% earned between ₦9,000 and ₦100,000 monthly.

A central insight from the empirical data was that 43.6% of respondents agreed to take micro-loans to stake bets on odds with a high probability of winning, intending to repay the debt once their primary funds arrived. This highlights a widespread, previously unmonitored demand for short-term gambling liquidity tied directly to personal income cycles.

> "Responsible gaming cannot be built around enforcement alone," said Michael Akor, one of the lead researchers behind the project. "We need to understand the financial realities of the people placing these bets, why they are betting, and how their income cycles influence their behavior."

To channel this demand safely, Still Play produces and issues a non-divertible soft-loan voucher. Instead of disbursing open cash or unrestricted consumer credit, the platform provides structured betting liquidity pegged to a user’s verified earning capacity and predefined limits. Because the voucher is non-divertible, funds can only be redeemed within authorized betting environments. The system also introduces automated loss controls and mandatory cooling-off periods to prevent immediate loss-chasing.

Researcher Obende Prince Emmanuel highlighted the core rationale:

> "The idea is not to hand people open-ended credit to gamble. What our research points to is demand for small, controlled, and short-term liquidity that reflects a user’s earning cycle, while putting strict restrictions around how that liquidity can be used."

> 

Rather than leaving consumer protection to fragmented, external efforts, Still Play embeds these essential functions directly into its underlying system architecture using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The platform is engineered with built-in capabilities tailored for each sector: providing betting operators with real-time automated loss limits and cooling-off triggers at the point of stake; integrating telecommunications network rails for mobile access and subscriber identity verification (KYC/NIN); providing financial institutions with structured micro-credit infrastructure and risk assessment models; and equipping regulators with tools for real-time compliance auditing, systemic monitoring, and sandbox evaluation.

> "For this to work, it cannot be a solution owned by only one part of the ecosystem," Akor emphasized. "Operators understand their customers, regulators hold the protection mandate, financial institutions understand credit risk, and telecommunications companies provide much of the connectivity infrastructure."

A secondary benefit of the model lies in financial inclusion. By maintaining a disciplined history of voucher repayments within the Still Play infrastructure, users with limited formal banking records could establish verifiable financial footprints for broader credit scoring and economic inclusion.

However, integrating micro-credit into wagering requires strict adherence to consumer credit regulations, data protection frameworks (such as the NDPR), affordability standards, and anti-money laundering controls.

> "The real test is not whether we can make betting easier," noted team member Gabriel Chinedu Obi. "It is whether technology can make participation more disciplined, transparent, and measurable while giving regulators and operators better information to protect consumers."

Mballou Fofana Expands African Culinary Brand After Growing $15m Property Portfolio

   

Mballou Fofana, the Philadelphia-based entrepreneur behind Le Mandingue African Restaurant, is expanding her African food business as she moves to take the brand’s products into households across the United States.

The planned expansion comes as Fofana continues to build on business interests that include hospitality and real estate, with her property portfolio reportedly valued at about $15 million.

Fofana’s rise in business followed a life-changing experience in 1998 when she lost one of her legs in an accident.

Rather than allowing the setback to halt her ambitions, she continued to pursue opportunities in the United States, eventually establishing herself as an entrepreneur in the hospitality and property sectors.

Her Le Mandingue African Restaurant has operated in the Philadelphia area for more than two decades, serving West African dishes to customers while providing a platform for the exposure of African culinary traditions.

Fofana said her experience after the accident influenced the resilience and determination she brought into her entrepreneurial journey.

“My story is proof that no setback is greater than the power of determination. Through faith, resilience and hard work, I chose to rebuild my life after tragedy and transform adversity into opportunity,” she said.

While the restaurant remains a major part of her business interests, Fofana has also expanded into property investment.

Her commercial and residential holdings across Philadelphia are reportedly worth approximately $15 million, reflecting years of investment outside the hospitality industry.

With the restaurant business established, Fofana is now turning her attention to packaged African food products.

The proposed product line is expected to feature premium seasonings, signature sauces and other pantry staples inspired by recipes that have been associated with Le Mandingue since its establishment.

The expansion is expected to allow customers outside Philadelphia to access products inspired by the restaurant’s cuisine without visiting its physical location.

Fofana said the initiative is also aimed at preserving and promoting African culinary heritage.

“Our goal is to bring the authentic flavours and traditions of Le Mandingue into kitchens across the country while preserving the richness of African culinary heritage for future generations,” she said.

The entrepreneur said her vision goes beyond growing her commercial interests, adding that she hopes her businesses can create opportunities for other people and contribute to greater awareness of African culture.

She also pointed to her personal journey as an example of how women, immigrants and aspiring entrepreneurs can continue pursuing their goals despite difficult circumstances.

With the planned food-product expansion, Fofana is positioning Le Mandingue for a new phase of growth that could take the brand beyond its Philadelphia base and into a wider American consumer market.