On today's episode of the Techpoint Africa Podcast, our hosts, Bolu Abiodun and Oluwanifemi Kolawole, discuss African tech stories making the waves this week.
The Lagos State Government has disclosed its plans to generate ₦200 billion annually from two million people through the digital economy sector tax.
The state aims to generate additional revenue in the digital economy sector by establishing a public data marketplace to license and monetise data from various government services. Additionally, there are plans to set up a fintech hub to support digital payments, mobile money, lending, and crowdfunding.
Our hosts identified the category of people classified in this new plan and the government's intention to include foreign firms.
What are the odds of the execution taking place?
Next on our discussion is an update on WhatsApp and FCCPC: Their moves were quite anticipated. WhatsApp asserts that Nigerian users were not coerced into accepting service terms and could opt out if desired, contrary to FCCPC claims.
While Bolu thinks the fine is too small compared to the quantity of data harvested by WhatsApp, the company argues that it has not harmed Nigerian users' interests and does not need to provide a written assurance of rights compliance.
Despite these issues, WhatsApp’s responses remain largely in denial, indicating ongoing disputes between the FCCPC and Meta.
Despite these challenges, WhatsApp's responses suggest continuing disagreements between the FCCPC and Meta, reflecting an inclination towards denial.
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Our hosts wrapped up by discussing the sudden blocking of customers' SIMs in Nigeria. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has repeatedly extended the deadlines for this process, which began in December 2020.
Now, an additional extension has been added to provide people with more time, as recent deactivations have impacted businesses and daily life.
You can catch up on the conversation on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also send your questions and observations to podcast@techpoint.africa or share your thoughts using the hashtag #TechpointAfricaPodcast.
