Author: Akin Naphtal

NEC Africa has appointed Phillip Nganga as its Regional Manager for East Africa, placing him in charge of the company’s overall performance and sustainable growth across the region. Nganga brings nearly 15 years of experience with NEC, having joined the organisation in May 2012. His appointment highlights NEC Africa’s commitment to developing local leadership and strengthening its operations as the company enters its next phase of growth across the continent. “East Africa has tremendous potential, and we believe the time is right to take the business to the next level. Our focus will be on expanding our customer base, strengthening…

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has outlined Nigeria’s strategy for unlocking greater investment in technology infrastructure and converting the country’s growing digital demand into sustainable capital. Speaking during a high-level industry panel titled “Converting Digital Demand into Data Centre Investment,” Inuwa said Nigeria’s expanding digital ecosystem presents significant opportunities for infrastructure investment, but turning that demand into bankable projects requires clear government policies, regulatory certainty and trusted digital environments. READ ALSO: OPENAI APPOINTS PAUL CHRISTIANO TO THE FOUNDATION BOARD According to the NITDA DG, providing clear policy direction remains central to the…

OpenAI has announced the appointment of Paul Christiano to the OpenAI Foundation Board, where he will serve as a non-voting observer on the OpenAI Group PBC Board. He will also join the Foundation Board’s Safety and Security Committee (SSC), working alongside committee chair Zico Kolter. The SSC is responsible for overseeing safety and security practices across OpenAI, including those of OpenAI Group PBC. Christiano’s appointment is expected to bring additional technical expertise and experience to the organisation’s governance and approach to managing the risks associated with advanced AI systems. Christiano brings government experience from his work across two U.S. administrations…

Meta has introduced Muse, a personal AI agent designed to help users achieve their goals by proactively suggesting ideas and carrying out tasks on their behalf. Unlike traditional AI assistants that mainly respond to prompts, Muse is built to take action, coordinate tasks and continue working toward a user’s goals. It is available through the dedicated Muse app and WhatsApp, using a conversational experience similar to messaging another person. Muse operates through Muse Secure VM, a dedicated virtual machine designed to keep the AI agent and a user’s data within a secure environment. The agent is powered by Muse Spark,…

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called for a fundamental shift in how African governments regulate technology and digital infrastructure. He warned that regulatory delays, fragmented policies and overlapping requirements could hinder investment and slow the development of the continent’s digital economy, speaking at the ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026 event in Nairobi, Kenya. Inuwa made the call while speaking at the “Regulatory Roundtable: Regulation That Builds – Aligning Policy and Digital Infrastructure Investment Priorities” during the ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026 event in Nairobi, Kenya. He stressed the need to reduce…

Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating digital transformation through stronger public-private partnerships, infrastructure investment, connectivity and supportive policy frameworks. The discussions took place during a Ministerial Breakfast Briefing at the ITW Africa meeting in Nairobi, bringing together government officials and industry stakeholders to explore opportunities for expanding Africa’s digital economy. Representing Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, H.E. Hon. William Kabogo, EGH, Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, CBS, highlighted Kenya’s continued efforts to create a more attractive environment for technology investment. He noted that the country has hosted ITW Africa…

Mastercard has announced a strategic partnership with Flowcart to integrate secure card payments directly into social and conversational commerce platforms, allowing consumers to discover products, place orders and complete transactions without leaving their chats. The partnership will launch in Kenya first, then expand across East Africa and other high-growth markets, including South Africa, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, with plans for wider adoption across Africa. The new solution is designed to simplify online shopping by enabling customers to complete the entire purchasing journey within a single conversation. Rather than being redirected to external websites or applications, users can interact with merchants,…

The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, has called on stakeholders in Nigeria’s advertising industry to strengthen their approach to data protection and privacy as the sector becomes increasingly driven by data and artificial intelligence. Dr Olatunji made the call while delivering the keynote address at an Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) webinar focused on “Understanding Data Protection and Its Regulatory Framework: Applicability to the Nigerian Advertising Industry.” ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, delivered the welcome address at the session. Speaking on the evolution of advertising, Dr Olatunji noted that the industry has…

Visa a world leader in digital payments has introduced an enhanced version of A2A Protect, designed to help financial institutions identify and prevent account-to-account (A2A) fraud before funds leave customers’ accounts. The upgraded solution provides real-time risk insights and introduces a unified fraud score, incorporating Featurespace technology for the first time to help banks detect suspicious transactions more efficiently. The enhancement comes as A2A payments continue to expand globally, with transactions projected to exceed 5.8 trillion by 2028, representing a 160% increase from 2024. A2A Protect uses advanced AI and transfer-learning capabilities to provide banks with global risk intelligence without…

Egypt is taking major steps to strengthen its digital infrastructure through two new partnerships involving Vodafone Business, Elsewedy Electric and Cassava Technologies, with the projects set to increase the country’s capacity to host and process data locally. Announced in Cairo on 8 September 2026, the partnerships include plans for Africa Data Centres Egypt, a large-scale facility that will begin with 20MW of capacity during its first three years and is expected to scale up to 200MW. The first phase is projected to attract about $200 million in foreign investment, while total investment could reach $1 billion when the full capacity…