Author: Akin Naphtal

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is expanding its Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance to the United Kingdom, with an ambitious goal to train 100,000 people in artificial intelligence (AI) skills by 2030. The initiative is designed to prepare learners for entry-level technology jobs by bridging the digital skills gap that continues to challenge UK employers. Under the programme, AWS will collaborate with schools, universities, businesses, and government bodies to offer a mix of online courses, real-world challenges, hands-on learning, and direct connections to employers. Key focus areas include AI, cybersecurity, and big data—fields in high demand as the digital economy rapidly…

Microsoft has announced plans to increase its data centre capacity in Europe by 40% over the next two years, as part of a broader initiative to reassure European customers amid rising concerns over data sovereignty and geopolitical tensions. The announcement was made by Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, in a blog post addressing fears that recent actions by the U.S. government, including trade tariffs on the UK, could push European customers to shift away from American cloud providers. “Given recent geopolitical volatility, we recognise that European governments likely will consider additional options,” Smith wrote. “Some of these may…

Zeepay, a rapidly expanding fintech company in Africa’s digital remittance and mobile money sector, has secured $18 million in debt funding to strengthen its operations and support its cross-border payment solutions. The funding round, reported by Africa Global Funds, was arranged by South African financial advisory firm Verdant IMAP. Structured as senior secured debt, the funding provides Zeepay with essential working capital to bolster its float financing activities, key to sustaining the company’s mobile money and remittance operations across Africa. To accommodate future investor participation, Verdant IMAP developed an innovative shared-collateral framework. Under this structure, both existing and new lenders…

In a landmark move to accelerate the transition toward net-zero emissions, Orange has signed a first-of-its-kind decarbonization agreement with the Camusat Group, a global leader in sustainable telecom infrastructure solutions. The partnership is part of Orange’s ambitious ‘Partners to Net Zero Carbon’ program, which engages suppliers in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its supply chain. The agreement sets clear and measurable targets for reducing CO₂ equivalent emissions associated with the products and services provided by Camusat. Key areas of focus include minimizing energy consumption of technical infrastructure, incorporating sustainable materials, and improving logistics efficiency. Orange, which aims to achieve…

Cross Switch, a leading provider of innovative digital payment solutions, has achieved a major milestone in its African expansion by securing a Third-Party Payment Processor (TPPP) licence in South Africa, granted by the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) and sponsored by Absa. The newly acquired licence positions Cross Switch as a key player in South Africa’s payments ecosystem, enabling the company to independently onboard merchants, fintechs, and non-profits. This development follows the firm’s recent certification as a Visa Payment Facilitator (PayFac), further enhancing its capabilities and reach. “This is a vital step in expanding our network and strengthening our…

MTN Group has unveiled a strategic leadership reshuffle across its East African operations, appointing new chief executives for its Rwanda and South Sudan subsidiaries. The changes are part of the Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy, aimed at accelerating growth across its fintech, digital, and enterprise platforms throughout the continent. Mapula Bodibe, the outgoing CEO of MTN Rwanda, has been appointed to lead MTN South Sudan. Since assuming her role in Rwanda in 2022, Bodibe has spearheaded key initiatives including the launch of MTN’s proprietary 4G network, a government-backed low-cost smartphone project called Ikosora, and a significant network upgrade in Kigali in…

Digital Realty, a global leader in cloud- and carrier-neutral data centers, has expanded its ServiceFabric® interconnection platform to Nigeria, deploying it at its LOS1 and LOS2 facilities in Lagos to deliver low-latency, high-performance connectivity for regional and global enterprises. This strategic expansion reinforces Digital Realty’s commitment to enabling seamless global interconnectivity for businesses, providing enterprise customers in Nigeria with the ability to connect whenever, wherever, and to whoever they need to. The presence of ServiceFabric® in Lagos will support the growing demand for hybrid IT and multi-cloud connectivity, empowering businesses with a secure, software-defined interconnection platform. As part of Digital…

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) has announced a landmark AED 2 billion ($544.54 million) partnership with Microsoft to develop a new hyperscale data centre in the United Arab Emirates, marking a major step forward in the country’s digital transformation agenda. The facility, which will be built and operated by du, will have Microsoft as its anchor tenant. The data centre’s capacity will be rolled out in phases, according to a statement released during Dubai AI Week. Hyperscale data centres are large-scale facilities designed to provide robust data storage and cloud computing solutions for enterprise customers—an area of growing demand…

Yesh Surjoodeen, Managing Director for Southern and Central Africa at HP, has raised alarm over the increasing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks targeting Nigerian businesses. In a recent opinion piece, Surjoodeen urged companies to adopt smarter device security measures and cultivate a strong culture of cybersecurity awareness to stay ahead of rapidly evolving threats. With Nigeria ranked the 13th most vulnerable country to cyberattacks globally, business leaders are being urged to match the pace of cybercriminals leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for increasingly sophisticated attacks. “The race is on between Nigerian hackers using AI to attack and Nigerian businesses using AI to…

Orange France has announced a major partnership with Ericsson to modernise its mobile network infrastructure, aiming to significantly enhance network performance while reducing environmental impact. Under the renewed four-year agreement, Ericsson will deploy its advanced radio solutions across 60% of France, covering major urban centres including Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Strasbourg, and Montpellier. The upgrade is set to improve uplink performance—crucial for enabling next-generation 5G applications—and deliver a more seamless user experience. “This partnership takes a dual approach to improving mobile service performance for our customers while also reducing our energy consumption,” said Jean-François Fallacher, CEO of Orange France. “It…