Nǐ hǎo,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Kenya’s SIM-card rules may require your DNA
- Inside Nigeria’s new payment backbone
- South Africa’s Post Office wants to become an MVNO
Kenya’s SIM-card rules may require your DNA
Kenya’s telecom regulator is stirring up a storm: the Communications Authority (CA) is proposing SIM-card registration rules so intrusive they’d require DNA, blood type, retinal scans, and even earlobe geometry. Under its draft 2025 regulations, telcos would have to collect this highly intimate biological data from anyone registering a new SIM.
However, reports show that critics are aghast. This goes far beyond name, ID number, or date of birth. It dives deep into the body’s most personal traits. Tech analysts warn that collecting such sensitive data creates serious privacy and security risks, especially given that many telecom companies may lack the capacity to store and protect it.
What’s more worrying is that telcos wouldn’t just collect and forget. They’d have to build detailed biometric databases and hand over subscriber records to the CA every quarter, giving the regulator ongoing access to identity data. Legal experts argue this effectively outsources national identity management to private firms, and that’s a dangerous power shift.
This kind of biometric SIM registration isn’t entirely new in Africa. Rwanda is already piloting a system that links SIMs to national ID biometrics — fingerprints and face scans — verified against its national database. And Mozambique is rolling out a law requiring face and fingerprint biometrics for SIMs. But Kenya’s proposal is on another level, demanding DNA and other ultra-sensitive physiological markers.
At its core, the debate is about more than compliance; it’s about trust. Kenya’s Data Protection Act says organisations should only collect what’s strictly necessary. But this proposal seems to fly in the face of that principle, raising big questions: how safe is this data, who really owns it, and what happens if things go wrong?
Inside Nigeria’s new payment backbone
If you’ve ever wondered why Nigeria keeps upgrading its payment systems despite already being ahead of most African markets, last week gave us a perfect clue. PalmPay and Wema Bank quietly pulled off the first-ever live test of the National Payment Stack (NPS) and it worked. Instant, smooth, and in milliseconds.
The NPS, built by Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), is essentially Nigeria giving its digital payments backbone a long-overdue makeover. While NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) has served the country impressively for years, it’s still based on older messaging technology. The NPS uses ISO20022, the modern global standard now used by top financial systems worldwide. In simple terms: cleaner messaging, richer data, better security, and faster confirmation.
So why do we need NPS if NIP “still works”? Think of it this way: NIP was a great car, but the engine was built for a different era. Payments today demand stronger fraud protection, real-time settlement, seamless cross-border support, and rich data for things like invoicing and analytics. The NPS finally gives Nigerian banks and fintechs that flexibility. And yeah, transactions really do happen in milliseconds.
For consumers and businesses, the experience won’t feel radically different at first, but the benefits will show up quietly: fewer failed transfers, faster reversals, richer transaction details, smoother government payments, and better support for global financial standards. Behind the scenes, banks get more reliable messaging, cleaner records, and tighter security, all things that reduce friction for customers.
The NPS will eventually replace NIP, though both systems will run side-by-side for a while as banks complete their upgrades. For a deeper dive into why this upgrade matters for Nigeria’s financial future, and what it means for your everyday transfers, read Chimgozirim’s latest breakdown.
South Africa’s Post Office wants to become an MVNO
South Africa’s Post Office (SAPO) is considering a bold new move: becoming a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). In a newly published request for information (RFI), SAPO revealed that it wants to explore offering mobile services, from SIM activations to airtime sales and even bundling fintech or government services, all built through partnerships with existing telecom operators.
On the surface, this looks like part of SAPO’s wider push to reinvent itself. The RFI frames partnerships as essential to the Post Office’s survival, saying they could help unlock new revenue streams, make better use of underutilised assets, and rebuild the organisation into a hybrid public–private service provider. The MVNO idea sits alongside other partnership options like revenue-sharing deals, joint ventures, and build-operate-transfer models.
But the move hints at something deeper: a state-owned entity that has lost ground to private logistics and delivery companies is now searching for relevance in a completely different sector. With its branch network nearly halved and parcel deliveries collapsing from 17.6 million in 2023 to 3.3 million in 2024, SAPO is clearly betting that diversification, not mail, is its best shot at survival.
Whether this matters for consumers is another question. South Africa already has a crowded MVNO market, and it’s not obvious that the Post Office can offer something significantly cheaper, faster, or more convenient. Still, with its national footprint and potential integration with government services, SAPo could technically carve out a niche if the partnerships materialise and the execution is solid.
For now, the RFI simply signals intent. Interested partners can pitch their ideas through the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies. Whether this is the beginning of the Post Office’s turnaround or just another ambitious experiment remains to be seen.
In case you missed it
- After building his first startup at 19, this Babcock University graduate now heads the African subsidiary of an Indian fintech
What I’m watching
- Which country has the best education in the world? – The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service
- Inside Japan’s MOST Impressive Elementary School Lunch
Opportunities
- Team Lead, Enterprise Risk Management at Coronation Life Insurance Ltd. Apply here
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Have a lovely Tuesday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
