Author: Akin Naphtal

MTN Group has awarded its Nigeria CEO, Karl Toriola, performance shares valued at approximately ₦463.7 million (about $335,000), as part of a broader strategy to retain and incentivise top leadership in its most important and challenging markets. The award was disclosed in a regulatory filing to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Toriola received 28,704 MTN Group shares valued at R5.5 million under the company’s 2010 Performance Share Plan (PSP). When combined with additional long-term incentive awards tied to MTN Nigeria’s local compensation structure, the total value rises significantly in naira terms. Nigeria remains one of MTN’s most critical operations.…

Global technology firm Zoho has announced plans to establish a data centre in the United Kingdom by the second quarter of 2026, reinforcing its commitment to data sovereignty and privacy compliance for its growing UK customer base. The new facility aims to offer clients complete in-country data hosting, meeting increasing demand for secure and locally regulated infrastructure, particularly among organisations in sensitive or regulated industries. The move comes on the heels of Zoho’s recent office opening in Milton Keynes, designed to strengthen its UK operations and deepen customer connections.The office will also drive recruitment and nurture local talent amid Zoho’s…

LemFi, the fast-growing fintech platform specialising in fair, simple, and accessible international money transfers for immigrants and cross-border communities, has announced the appointment of Nick Andrews as its new Director of Customer Service. The appointment comes at a critical phase of LemFi’s global and product expansion, as the company continues to scale rapidly with over one million customers worldwide. Nick Andrews brings extensive leadership experience from some of the UK’s most innovative companies, having held senior roles at digital bank Monzo and energy disruptor OVO Energy. Known for blending operational excellence with genuine customer empathy, Andrews has a strong track…

In a significant move aimed at deepening crypto adoption and financial inclusion across Africa, cryptocurrency exchange VALR has partnered with digital payments gateway Onafriq to allow users in 43 African markets to fund their accounts using mobile money directly. The integration connects popular mobile payment platforms such as M-PESA and MTN Mobile Money to VALR’s platform, giving users seamless access to global crypto markets and tokenised real-world assets using local currencies. According to the companies, the partnership addresses a critical gap by providing a direct on-ramp for millions of Africans who remain underserved by traditional banking systems. By leveraging Onafriq’s…

Ericsson and leading UAE telecom operator du have successfully completed a proof of concept (PoC) deploying 5G Standalone (SA) using millimeter wave (mmWave) extended range technology in residential neighbourhoods across the United Arab Emirates. The trial utilised Ericsson’s latest mmWave radio, the AIR 5343, combined with advanced software features to deliver multi-gigabit speeds, significantly extended coverage, increased capacity for high-demand applications, and accelerated the rollout of high-performance Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services. The initiative aims to bring ultra-fast broadband to more households across the UAE, enhancing user experience and expanding du’s FWA footprint in residential areas. This project marks the…

Paga Group, Africa’s leading financial services infrastructure provider, has announced a major evolution in its leadership structure as it celebrates 17 years of operations, signaling the end of its foundational chapter and the beginning of a bold new era focused on continental growth and cutting-edge technology. The company, which launched in 2009 as a consumer payments platform built on a nationwide agent network, has transformed into a full-stack financial services infrastructure provider. Today, it powers enterprises through Paga Engine, serves consumers via the Paga app, and supports merchants with Doroki. “Act 1” delivered impressive results. Between 2021 and 2025, the…

Moniepoint Inc., a leading digital financial services provider and one of Africa’s fastest-growing financial institutions, has officially opened applications for the 2026 edition of its Women in Tech internship programme. Now in its sixth year, the initiative continues to expand its reach, creating more opportunities for women across Nigeria to enter and thrive in the technology sector. Launched under the theme “There is Space for You,” the 2026 campaign is a direct call to women with talent, ambition, and drive, particularly those who have faced barriers to accessing opportunities in tech. The theme reflects a broader industry reality: despite recent progress, women make…

Vodacom Tanzania is set to undertake a significant $28 million migration of its flagship M-Pesa service from the legacy G2 infrastructure to a next-generation fintech platform, in a proactive move to future-proof the country’s leading mobile money system. Athumani Mlinga, IT and Billing Director at Vodacom Tanzania PLC, who oversees the company’s technology infrastructure, including M-Pesa, emphasised that the decision was driven by strategic foresight rather than system failure. “There is a well-known dilemma in technology leadership: do you wait for a system to fail before you replace it, or do you invest in modernisation while everything still works?” said…

Leah Nakazwe Kooma has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Zambia, effective April 1, 2026, as the company strengthens its leadership to accelerate digital infrastructure growth in the country. The announcement was made by Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, which said the appointment underscores its commitment to expanding connectivity and digital services across Zambia and the broader Southern African region. Kooma takes over from Mwendamo Mazaba, who served in an acting capacity and led the business through key initiatives, including the rollout of SME-focused digital portals and public Wi-Fi projects. ALSO READ: M-PESA SOARS IN ETHIOPIA AS SAFARICOM HITS…

Safaricom is recording rapid growth in Ethiopia, with its flagship mobile money platform M-PESA reaching 5.2 million active users, a 258.5 percent year-on-year increase in the quarter ended December 2025. The surge follows M-PESA’s integration with EthSwitch in October 2025, a move that has significantly expanded interoperability and accelerated adoption across the country’s digital payments ecosystem. According to Safaricom, the EthSwitch connection links M-PESA to more than 30 banks and digital wallets regulated by the National Bank of Ethiopia, enabling real-time wallet-to-bank and bank-to-wallet transfers, as well as interoperable merchant payments through EthQR. This has expanded acceptance of the platform to over 50,000 merchants nationwide. …