Author: Akin Naphtal

Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Michael Miebach said the company’s second-quarter results demonstrated the resilience of global consumer spending even amid geopolitical uncertainty, while underscoring Mastercard’s expanding role as the “operating system of the digital economy.” Speaking on earnings day in an interview with The Motley Fool, Miebach highlighted solid transaction volumes, operating margins above 60 percent, continued strength in cross-border activity and robust growth in value-added services. He described the quarter as further evidence that both consumers and businesses remain healthy spenders. “It’s interesting when you look around the world and you read the headlines, see geopolitical complexity and volatility,…

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative Implementation Taskforce (NSCI-ITF), marking a shift in Nigeria’s sovereign cloud strategy from framework development to coordinated implementation and delivery. The National Sovereign Cloud Initiative (NSCI), coordinated by NITDA, provides a national framework aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and developing a secure, resilient, competitive and investment-ready cloud and digital infrastructure ecosystem. The initiative is designed to enhance the protection and assurance of critical digital assets while promoting innovation, indigenous capacity, private-sector investment and access to global technologies. ALSO READ: NETWORK INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS NEW CHIEF OFFICER OF…

Network International has announced that Abdulla Nasser Lootah has been appointed Chief Public Sector Officer & Advisor to the Group CEO at Network International. In this newly created role, Abdulla Nasser Lootah will lead the company’s Public Sector P&L, drive growth in the UAE, while also supporting public and non-public sector growth initiatives across the wider Group, and position Network International as a trusted partner in the region’s digital payments and transformation agenda. Working closely alongside the CEO and the Executive Leadership Team, Abdulla will focus on strengthening strategic relationships, deepening the company’s proposition for government and strategic accounts, and…

Abraham Oluwambe, Chief Executive Officer of LiFi.net Limited, has underscored the urgent need to keep African internet traffic local and strengthen cross-border infrastructure following his participation at the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF 2026) held in Kigali. Reflecting on the multi-day gathering of regional peers, Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operators, content delivery networks, data centre leaders and transit providers, Oluwambe said the event reinforced a shared continental mission. “Connecting with industry leaders reaffirmed one clear mission: keeping African traffic local, driving down latency, and building resilient cross-border infrastructure,” he stated. Oluwambe highlighted three key areas of focus that emerged…

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and MTN Group Fintech have wrapped up the Mobile Money (MoMo) Evolved Migration across major African markets such as Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda. The companies are now extending similar transformation efforts to new markets, starting with an active project in Cameroon, while also holding discussions to bring Benin, the Republic of the Congo and Zambia into the same process. Some operating companies are additionally considering a move to public cloud. Built on the Ericsson Fintech Platform, these initiatives will shift MTN MoMo from a legacy virtualized setup to a standardized cloud-native architecture, boosting performance and efficiency…

Kenya is positioning itself to harness next-generation digital technologies, driven by ongoing efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure, build local technical capacity and accelerate digital economy growth. Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Mr. Stephen Isaboke, EBS, stated that Kenya remains dedicated to fostering innovation and forging strategic partnerships that will help the country keep pace with the fast-changing landscape of information and communication technology. He made these remarks while delivering a keynote address at the FiberHome World Tour, Kenya, held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi. He stated that FiberHome’s longstanding presence and continued investment in Kenya’s digital ecosystem…

MTN Group delivers strong growth, solid cash generation and improved returns in the first half of 2026. As part of the Ambition 2030 strategy, the Group made progress on several initiatives, including its planned acquisition of tower company IHS Holdings and the introduction of a share buyback programme. On a pro forma basis, MTN’s proposed transaction to buy the remaining shares in IHS is accretive to revenue, profit after tax and adjusted headline earnings per share. The transaction has received approval from various regulators, including Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. As part of the conditional approvals, MTN will…

Amazon has begun operating its first last-mile delivery station in Puerto Rico, following a more than $37 million investment in Dorado designed to improve package delivery times and strengthen the company’s local delivery infrastructure. The approximately 100,000-square-foot facility began partial operations in early August after nearly two years of development. When construction began, Invest Puerto Rico said the project was expected to create about 100 direct jobs and opportunities for roughly 200 drivers. The Dorado station focuses specifically on the final stage of Amazon’s delivery network, where packages are transported from regional facilities and delivered directly to customers, rather than…

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…