MTN Nigeria has officially launched the Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre, a facility it touts as West Africa’s largest Tier III data centre and one of the biggest across Africa. This significant investment positions MTN to become a major player in the cloud computing market, directly competing with international giants like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. The state-of-the-art facility boasts a total capacity of nine megawatts (MW). The first phase, now operational, delivers 4.5 MW of computing power, with the second phase set to be deployed based on market demand. According to Yahaya Ibrahim, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
FirstBank, a leading financial institution in West Africa, has launched cutting-edge facial biometric technology on its FirstMobile banking app, significantly enhancing the digital banking experience for millions of customers. This major upgrade, alongside other exciting new features, aims to provide seamless, secure, and efficient financial services. The newly introduced features on FirstMobile are designed to cater to diverse customer needs, making banking more accessible and secure than ever. Users can now securely activate or register for FirstMobile using just their face, eliminating the need for traditional card details or complex verification steps. This feature includes advanced anti-spoof detection for robust…
Mr. Yele Okeremi, Managing Director of Precise Financial Systems (PFS), has said that unless the Nigerian government pays attention to the trends and developments in the country’s fintech ecosystem, the growth would be limited. Speaking during his appearance on C-Suite Café, a podcast hosted by veteran journalist and brand strategist Ikem Okuhu, Okeremi said that only the government can provide the necessary leverage for the sector to become global leaders. Citing the example of China, he said that the country’s government had to push its local payment platform to become one of the world’s prime payment gateways. “If we are…
Millions of telecommunication subscribers across Nigeria are experiencing significant disruptions in SIM-related services, including new SIM registration, SIM swaps, and replacements. This widespread issue stems from a mandatory migration by mobile network operators (MNOs) to a new identity verification platform directed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed on Tuesday that this transition, while aimed at improving the integrity and efficiency of identity management in Nigeria, has led to unforeseen technical challenges impacting service availability nationwide. “During this period, MNOs will not be able to support SIM Swap, SIM replacement,…
The Nigerian private sector remained in growth territory as the first half of 2025 drew to a close, and business confidence improved markedly in June. That said, rates of expansion in output, new orders and purchasing eased from May. Although rates of inflation remained relatively sharp, there were further signs of cost pressures softening and companies raised their output prices at the slowest pace in just over two years. The headline figure derived from the survey is the Stanbic IBTC Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI®). Readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions on the previous month, while readings below…
The extended family structure is a cornerstone of traditional African culture, where nuclear families unite under the authority of the broader family unit. Despite the influence of Western family systems, many African families still uphold this time-honored structure, which has proven to be both prestigious and valuable throughout history. The Dantata dynasty exemplifies the power of the extended family in fostering business success. The late Alhassan Aminu Dantata, part of the third generation of this wealth-building lineage, transformed the family’s legacy. His grandfather, Baba Talatin, was an Agarawa long-distance trader from Katsina, and his father, Abdullahi, expanded the family’s trade…
On June 26, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed four transformative tax reform bills into law, marking a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s fiscal landscape. These bills, the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, aim to modernize the country’s tax system, streamline revenue collection, and foster economic growth. Crafted after what it termed extensive consultations led by the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, chaired by Taiwo Oyedele, these reforms address long-standing issues such as fragmented tax laws, inefficiencies in administration, and disproportionate tax burdens on low-income…
A groundbreaking new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Commission on Social Connection has shed stark light on the severe and often fatal consequences of loneliness. The report estimates that this pervasive issue contributes to approximately 871,000 deaths worldwide each year. Released on Monday, the findings underscore that roughly 1 in 6 people globally are grappling with loneliness, a staggering figure that translates to about 100 deaths every single hour linked to this silent epidemic. Dr. Vivek Murthy, Co-chair of the WHO Commission on Social Connection and former U.S. Surgeon General, stated that the report aims to “pull back…
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has wielded the big stick on 49 Healthcare Facilities (HCFs) and 47 Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) for various service failures last year. It warned that substandard care for enrollees will no longer be tolerated. This is contained in the Authority’s 2024 Annual Complaints Report, released by the Acting Director, Enforcement, Dr Abdulhamid Habib Abdullahi. The NHIA, according to the report, investigated a total of 3,507 complaints nationwide last year, resolving 2,929 cases an 84 per cent resolution rate within the standard response window of 10 to 25 days. It disclosed that common complaints against…
Oluwayimika Debo-Carpenter In the digital financial services ecosystem, the settlement process plays a vital role in ensuring that funds move securely and accurately from customers to businesses, and from one financial institution to another. It’s the critical final step that confirms the completion of a transaction, providing merchants with the assurance that payments made by their customers are properly credited to their accounts within agreed timelines. For fintechs and payment processors, having reliable and transparent settlement processes isn’t just an operational necessity, it’s essential for building and maintaining trust with merchants. Any inconsistency, delay, or lack of clarity around settlement…