Author: Akin Naphtal

Airtel Kenya’s mobile money platform, Airtel Money, has significantly increased its market share, rising from 2.9% to 7.6% in the year ending September 2024, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). This growth has been attributed to free Airtel-to-Airtel transfers, competitive cross-network transaction fees, and lower withdrawal charges compared to Safaricom’s M-PESA. During the same period, M-PESA’s dominance in the mobile money sector shrank, with its market share dropping from 97.0% to 92.3%. Once commanding a 98% share, M-PESA has faced rising competition as Kenyans increasingly prioritize affordability in their financial transactions. The CA noted that mobile money subscriptions…

STEM—an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—remains a cornerstone of innovation, economic progress, and societal advancement. Yet, in Africa, the underrepresentation of women and girls in these fields persists, largely shaped by socio-cultural norms, systemic biases, and limited access to quality education. Despite these hurdles, trailblazers like Kodou Jeng are leading the charge to close this gender gap. Jeng, the CEO and Founder of Women in STEM Gambia (WiSTEM Gambia) and WiSTEM Africa, has devoted her life to empowering women and girls through STEM. Her relentless advocacy for gender equity and her transformative efforts are reshaping the STEM education…

Abhijit Dubey, CEO of Japanese IT company NTT Data, which has a strong presence in South Africa, has emphasized the need for global standards in regulating artificial intelligence (AI) to address the risks associated with the rapidly advancing technology. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Dubey stressed that the focus should not be on overregulation or underregulation but on creating a unified regulatory framework. “The issue, especially as it relates to AI, is not overregulation or underregulation, but more standard regulation globally,” Dubey said. “That’s what we really need, because otherwise, we…

Moniepoint, one of Nigeria’s leading business payments and banking services platforms, has secured a strategic investment from Visa, the global leader in digital payments. This investment underscores Visa’s commitment to advancing financial inclusion and fostering small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth across Africa while shaping the future of digital payments on the continent. Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint (formerly known as TeamApt Inc.) has grown to become a leading financial platform serving Nigeria’s expansive network of SMEs. The company offers an integrated suite of services, including digital payments, bank accounts, credit, and management tools. Moniepoint…

MTN Group has successfully renewed its Channel 1 spectrum band licence in Nigeria for an additional ten years, effective from January 1, 2025. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed the development yesterday, announcing the extension of MTN’s first 800MHz spectrum band licence. Additionally, the regulator approved the extension of the Channel 2 spectrum band licence, which is set to expire on December 31, 2030. According to the NCC, the alignment of these licences is designed to ensure they both terminate on December 31, 2034. This synchronization aims to streamline future renewals and improve regulatory efficiency. READ ALSO: MICROSOFT TO SKILL…

Microsoft Africa has unveiled an ambitious initiative aimed at equipping four million African youths with future-ready skills in digital, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2030. The announcement was made by Lillian Barnard, President of Microsoft Africa, during the company’s AI Tour 2025 in Johannesburg. Speaking on the transformative potential of AI in a presentation titled “AI is Driving Transformation,” Barnard highlighted the unique opportunity Africa’s youthful demographic presents. With 60% of its population under the age of 35, she stressed that embracing emerging technologies is critical to unlocking economic growth across the continent. “We have set an ambitious…

MTN, China Telecom, and Huawei have signed an agreement to deploy a cutting-edge 5G private network for a leading manganese mining company in South Africa’s Northern Cape. This transformative project is poised to enhance mining operations with unparalleled connectivity and digital solutions, marking a major milestone in Africa’s industrial digitalization journey. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed at AfricaCom last year, aimed at introducing advanced digital ICT solutions to industries across the continent. This collaboration establishes Africa’s largest 5G private network in the mining sector, setting a benchmark for smart mining practices. Transforming Mining Operations The 5G private…

Airtel Malawi has appointed Aashish Dutt as the company’s managing director, beginning February 1, 2025. He succeeds Abdul Khayyum Shaik, who has been acting managing director since November 2024. Dutt is an accomplished leader in the telecommunications and sales industries with over two decades of extensive experience across multiple markets. Currently serving as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Airtel Kenya, Aashish has held this pivotal role since September 2021. According to Kayisi Sadala, interim chairperson of the board, Dutt has over 28 years of telecom expertise, 14 of which have been in senior management. Sadala said: ‘’He has a…

The adoption of 5G technology in Africa is poised for significant growth over the next five years, according to a recent regional outlook report by technology research and advisory group Omdia. The report projects that 5G penetration on the continent will rise from 1.4% in 2024 to 25.6% by 2029 Omdia, a sister company of Connecting Africa, estimates that 5G subscriptions in Africa will grow from 20 million in 2024 to 427 million in 2029. This surge in adoption is expected to drive cellular data traffic, with 5G accounting for 38.2% of total cellular data traffic by 2029, compared to…

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, the East Africa Community, and Cognizant join over 25 organizations as founding contributors to the AI Skills Coalition, a new initiative by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) aimed at bridging the global AI skills gap. The coalition, part of ITU’s AI for Good initiative, was unveiled during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, emphasizing the role of digital technologies in creating a sustainable future. Designed as an online platform, the AI Skills Coalition aims to provide accessible training on generative AI, machine learning, and sustainable AI applications, ensuring inclusive participation in the global…