Author: Akin Naphtal

Mastercard has announced the appointment of Yasemin Bedir as President of its Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) region, effective September 1. The EEMEA region has expanded significantly in recent years, incorporating additional markets and growing into an 81-country business with strong growth potential. The expanded region now represents a dynamic and agile market as Mastercard continues to strengthen its presence across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bedir, who has spent nearly 20 years at Mastercard, also join the company’s Management Committee. She succeeded Dimitrios Dosis, who recently became Mastercard’s Chief Commercial Payments Officer, overseeing Commercial and…

MTN Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting digital education by donating 149 MiFi devices to teachers at the fourth Digital Educator Conference & Exhibition held in Lagos. The initiative seeks to improve teachers’ access to reliable internet connectivity, allowing them to leverage digital learning resources, strengthen classroom teaching and take part in continuous professional development. The MiFi devices were presented at the Ecobank Headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, during a conference that attracted more than 700 educators, policymakers, school administrators, technology professionals and development partners from across Nigeria. Participants explored strategies for addressing the country’s digital skills gap while…

MTN Uganda has introduced Webphone with Webex, an integrated communication solution that enables businesses and individuals to stay connected from anywhere while retaining their existing 032 phone number. According to Ibrahim Senyonga, General Manager, MTN Business, the solution enables users to remain connected to their Ugandan number while abroad, helping businesses maintain communication with customers and teams regardless of location. The service connects MTN Uganda’s telephony network with Webex to make communication, collaboration, and customer engagement easier, regardless of location. By combining both platforms, businesses and individuals can stay connected, communicate more efficiently, and manage customer interactions from different locations.…

SES has deepened its strategic stake in Elveo Mobile, the direct-to-device operator that emerged this week from the completed merger of Lynk Global and Omnispace, strengthening SES’s position in the satellite race. Announced on 17 August, the expanded partnership will see SES provide Elveo with access to its worldwide space and ground infrastructure, while backing the company’s efforts in go-to-market strategy, engineering, operations and regulatory matters. In exchange, SES’s mobile telecom, enterprise and government clients will gain multi-orbit connectivity through Elveo’s low-Earth orbit network, in addition to SES’s existing GEO and MEO satellite coverage. SES chief executive Adel Al-Saleh called…

Tesla has told employees it is preparing for a public launch of its Cybercab robotaxi service, with Austin, Texas, set to be the starting point as early as this month. The report cited sources with knowledge of the plans The Cybercab is designed specifically for autonomous driving and does not have conventional driving controls such as steering wheel or pedals. It is crucial to Tesla’s robotaxi ⁠ambitions, as the company is planning to eventually deploy the vehicle for its autonomous ride-hailing service READ ALSO: NIGERIA LAUNCHES NEW BRIDGE OA TO OVERSEE $2BN BROADBAND PLAN Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja said during…

Nigeria has incorporated Bridge Open Access (Bridge OA), an independent special-purpose vehicle established to oversee Project BRIDGE, the Federal Government’s $2 billion nationwide broadband infrastructure programme, according to Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Minister Dr. Bosun Tijani. Tijani announced the incorporation through his official LinkedIn page, describing the development as a significant transition that moves Project BRIDGE from its planning and financing stages into actual nationwide infrastructure deployment. Project BRIDGE is designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of new open-access fibre-optic cable across Nigeria, increasing the country’s existing national fibre backbone from an estimated 30,000–35,000 kilometres to more than 120,000 kilometres.…

MTN Digital Infrastructure, the parent company of Bayobab, has appointed Nour Alkhatib as General Manager: Customer Success, effective 1 September 2026. Alkhatib brings extensive experience across the telecommunications value chain, spanning marketing, communications, category management, customer experience and commercial strategy. Her career has covered markets in Africa and the Middle East, with senior leadership roles across MTN Group, MENA and SEA operations, where she has consistently delivered strong commercial, brand and customer outcomes. Since joining MTN, she has played a key role in shaping brand and commercial strategy. As Principal: Marketing & Media Category at MTN Group GSSC in Dubai,…

Nvidia has agreed to provide a guarantee of up to $105 billion to support OpenAI’s lease of a massive data center in Ohio, which SoftBank-owned SB Energy is developing as part of one of Nvidia’s largest infrastructure financing commitments. The Jensen Huang-led firm stated on Monday that it will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy, following a $1 billion investment from OpenAI and SoftBank to expand data center infrastructure and support the growing demand for artificial intelligence computing. The latest agreement represents another major step in Nvidia’s strategy of financing infrastructure built around its chips, supporting future demand while raising…

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has partnered with Meta, 3MTT and RAIN to launch an AI academy. The initiative aims to expand Nigeria’s AI talent pool and strengthen the country’s growing technology ecosystem. Meanwhile, the programme will help participants develop practical AI skills for the digital economy. The academy will move participants from basic AI awareness to practical applications through training, technical support and commercial opportunities. According to Meta,the programme will feature three components: AI skills development, a startup pitchathon and a six-week developer bootcamp. The skills programme will target the wider 3MTT community and provide…

Hubtel, Ghana’s leading fintech and digital payment company, lends its support to MoMo from MTN for the launch of the MoMo Fintech Lab as its Official Technology Partner. As Official Technology Partner of the 2026 MoMo Fintech Lab, Hubtel will help power a national initiative designed to give fintech innovators a major boost. The launch took place on 12th August 2026 at the Accra Marriott Hotel. The company was represented by four senior executives: Nana Owusu-Marfo, Francis Wilson, Patrick Asare-Frimpong, and Augustine Gyawu Adjei, who lead Brand and User Experience, Infrastructure and Payments, Product Management, and Engineering in attendance respectively,…