Jumia’s financial report for Q2 2020 reveals that the eCommerce giant saw the entire value of its sales drop during the pandemic. Despite this drop, the company saw its loss decline for a second conse…
Lagos to enforce regulations on Uber, Bolt, others from August 20, 2020
The Lagos State Government is set to enforce regulations on ride-hailing companies. Key highlights include a ₦25 million licence fee, state driver badge, and a vehicle not older than three years from …
Total upheaval: MTN looking to sell stake in Jumia, end the Middle East operations
MTN Group looks set for a major restructuring as it plans to cash out on Jumia, IHS Towers in the future and exit its operations in the Middle East to focus on Africa. …
Nigeria approves ban on local exclusive VoD content, $13,000 hate speech fine
The Nigerian Government has approved the revised code by the NBC that limits the acquisition or airing of exclusive/original local content on online streaming platforms, and places fine for hate speec…
X-raying Danbatta’s 5 year tenure as head of Nigeria’s telecom regulator
The Nigerian Senate recently confirmed the appointment of Professor Umar Garba Danbatta as Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC. We look back at his last five years in Nigeria’s telecom sector and…
Weighing Nigeria’s decision to let banks debit BVN-linked accounts of loan defaulters
The Central Bank of Nigeria recently initiated the global standing instruction which allows banks to recover loans from defaulters’ BVN-linked accounts. We explore the various implications of this mov…
Ghana is building a digital template for safe elections during the pandemic
Ghana is currently allowing eligible persons to book election registration appointments online. As African electoral processes become a puzzle during the pandemic, we take a look at the role technolog…
Airtel Africa’s YoY profits decline by 56% as voice and mobile money revenues fall
According to Airtel Africa’s financial report for the quarter ending June 2020, Data revenues slowed during the pandemic, voice revenue and other economic forces also impact profit negatively…
Besides license fees, Nigerian logistics players to remit 2% of their annual revenue
Nigeria’s proposed logistics regulations have been met with various reactions, though licencing fees seem to be suspended, other details behind this raise a number of interesting questions.…
With new financial policy, Nigeria wants to break the dominance of its major telcos
Nigeria’s telecom regulator is set to implement a new framework that will mandate telcos to present yearly financial statements. Though it says it wants to boost competition, the framework might have …
Nigerian Senate confirms Danbatta’s re-appointment as executive vice-chairman of Nigeria’s telecom regulator
Two months after a presidential appointment, the Upper House of Nigeria’s legislature has confirmed the re-appointment of Prof Umar Danbatta as head of the Nigerian communications commission…
With $328 million funding, Nigeria approves Internet fibre extension to Northern Nigeria
Two years after signing an MOU with China, the Nigerian government has approved a new project to extend Internet fibre infrastructure to the hinterlands of Northern Nigeria.…
Inside Nigeria’s 13-year-old quest for widespread digital identification
A steering committee has been appointed to drive the digital identification of Nigerians, but unresolved issues raise several questions about its relevance.…
Kenya to regulate loan rates of digital lenders with proposed law change
Based on a proposed change to its laws, Kenya wants to give its Apex bank the right to supervise digital lending apps. The aim is to limit the emerging predatory practices by several of these digital …
Nigerian telecom giant requests approval to lay 160km Internet fibre cable in Ekiti
Following the drastic reduction in right of way charges, Ekiti has received a request from a Nigerian telecom giant to lay 160km of Internet fibre across the state. A move that could be a big boost fo…
Nigerian companies record 2nd highest percentage of global cyberattacks
According to a recent survey, several Nigerian companies are still plagued by cyberattacks. While this is not a new trend, as businesses move online during the pandemic, it could get much worse if lef…
Why Nigeria’s stock market may need more than technology to thrive
With the aid of technology Nigeria’s stock market had a good outing during the lockdown. We explore the current trends in local investments, and the role technology is playing…
Online transactions in Nigeria dropped by $10 billion during the lockdown
Though several Nigerians seemingly adopted online platforms during the lockdown, the volume of financial transactions dropped. Numbers seem to be recovering, but businesses may soon need to be wary of…
Nigeria hit 2.5 million new Internet subscriptions during the lockdown
Nigeria’s Internet subscribers during the lockdown in April and the partial lockdown in May rose to 4.9 million. According to data, Glo is leading the pack with over 60% of the lockdown’s Intern…
Lagos, Nigeria is building its own unified Internet fibre infrastructure
Following a legislative approval, Lagos state is currently building a unified fibre infrastructure around the city. Though this might have many benefits, the details of this project are unclear and so…