MTN Group is set to develop AI-focused data centres with an initial capacity of about 150 megawatts (MW) across Nigeria and South Africa through a partnership with a UAE-backed investor. Ralph Mupita, the group’s Chief Executive Officer, disclosed the plan on Tuesday as MTN outlined opportunities to expand beyond its traditional telecommunications business. The proposed facilities will be developed through Africa Data Hub Holding, a venture involving MTN and an undisclosed UAE-backed investor with experience in building data centres in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf markets. Mupita said MTN would hold a minority stake in the venture, while…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
Nigeria and the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) have renewed their commitment to transforming the country’s rice production system as part of efforts to strengthen food security and reduce dependence on imports. The commitment was reaffirmed when Ezenwa Nwaobiala, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, visited the AfricaRice main research station in Mbé, Côte d’Ivoire. Nwaobiala said the visit was aimed at strengthening the partnership between the Federal Government and AfricaRice and accelerating the deployment of scientific innovations to boost rice production in Nigeria and across the region. He said food sovereignty had become a major continental priority, noting that Nigeria’s ability…
Moniepoint Inc. is winding down its UK-based remittance service, MonieWorld, less than two years after launching the platform to serve Nigerians in the diaspora. The fintech company said the decision followed a review of its business portfolio and long-term priorities, with the group choosing to redirect capital, technology and operational resources towards its core financial services business in Africa. MonieWorld was launched in April 2025 to allow Nigerians and other UK-based users to send money directly to Nigerian bank accounts. Despite the decision to exit the business, Moniepoint said MonieWorld recorded significant early traction. According to the company, monthly transaction…
Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement from her representatives. The specific type of cancer was not disclosed. Her representatives described Parton as an artist who spent her life bringing “joy, laughter, hope and integrity” to everything she touched, while highlighting her extraordinary generosity and charitable work. The news marks the end of one of the most remarkable careers in popular music. Parton rose from extreme…
Nearly three million Tesla vehicles manufactured in China are being recalled over concerns that their hidden door handles could make it difficult for occupants to escape in an emergency. The recall affects about 2.98 million China-made Tesla vehicles, including the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. It forms part of a wider recall involving more than four million vehicles from several automakers over concerns surrounding concealed door-handle designs. Other manufacturers affected include Chinese electric vehicle makers XPeng and Xiaomi, as well as Geely. The safety concerns centre on the difficulty of locating and operating some hidden door…
There are some artists whose music entertains us, and there are others whose lives become part of the music they create. Dolly Parton belongs firmly in the second category. Her extraordinary career has been built not only on a remarkable voice and an unmistakable songwriting gift, but also on a life story shaped by poverty, faith, family, resilience and an enduring belief in the dignity of ordinary people. Few songs capture that story more powerfully than “Coat of Many Colours.” Released in 1971, the song draws from Parton’s childhood in rural Tennessee and tells the story of a coat her mother…
The Federal Government has released the 2026/2027 admission list for Junior Secondary School One (JSS1) candidates admitted into Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) across Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Education announced the release in a statement on Monday, following approval by Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education. Successful candidates can check their admission status and print their admission slips through the Federal Ministry of Education’s Posting Portal. Parents and guardians can also check the admission status of their children and wards on the notice boards of the relevant Federal Unity Colleges. Successful candidates are required to print their admission…
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has grossed N1.8 billion across West Africa, becoming the highest-grossing Hollywood film in the region, according to distributor FilmOne Entertainment. FilmOne announced the milestone on social media, describing the performance as a record for the Spider-Man franchise and thanking audiences across West Africa for their strong cinema turnout. The achievement comes after the movie had already broken box-office records in Nigeria during its preview screenings and subsequent nationwide release. In a post on X, FilmOne Entertainment said Spider-Man: Brand New Day had become the highest-grossing Hollywood film of all time in West Africa. The latest N1.8…
Femi Otedola, chairman of First HoldCo Plc, has further increased his stake in the financial services group after acquiring 95.7 million additional shares valued at N12.58 billion. The transaction, disclosed in a regulatory filing submitted to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Monday, was executed through Calvados Global Services Limited, Otedola’s investment vehicle. The filing, signed by First HoldCo Group Company Secretary, Abiola Baruwa, showed that Calvados Global Services acquired 95,699,240 ordinary shares at N131.48 per share on August 24, 2026. The latest purchase takes Otedola’s total shareholding in First HoldCo from approximately 12.05 billion shares to 12.15 billion shares, increasing…
For Lucy Ikpesu-Ewhubare, the journey from a low-income family in Nigeria to becoming a UK-based engineer and scholarship advocate was anything but straightforward. It was a journey marked by ambition, persistence and repeated rejection. But those setbacks ultimately shaped a mission: to ensure that other young Nigerians do not have to struggle alone to find international education opportunities. Ikpesu-Ewhubare, founder of ScholarWaka, is passionate about expanding access to global education, particularly for students who may lack the financial resources or guidance needed to pursue opportunities abroad. Her own experience remains at the heart of that mission. “I’m just a girl…