Zdraveite,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today,
- IHS Towers exits Rwanda in $274.5M deal
- The doctor who uses AI to save your eyes
- ChatGPT users in Nigeria to pay more
IHS Towers exits Rwanda in $274.5M deal
Word on the street is that IHS Towers is officially bowing out of Rwanda after over a decade. Per a statement released on October 9, the American tower giant has sold its entire Rwandan operations — about 1,467 tower sites — to Paradigm Tower Ventures, a new entrant focused on building wireless infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, in a deal worth roughly $274.5 million.
The move marks IHS’s complete exit from the East African market as it looks to sharpen its focus on enhancing shareholder value.
The deal, which was first announced in May 2025, has now been finalised, making Paradigm the leading independent tower operator in Rwanda. Through its investment arm, Paradigm Infrastructure Holdings (PIH), the company is stepping into the market with big plans to expand coverage and improve network reliability for millions of Rwandans.
Stephen Harris, Paradigm’s co-founder and chairman, said the goal is to modernise the country’s telecom infrastructure while making it greener. “Our focus is to improve existing infrastructure to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, alongside facilitating the improvement of mobile network coverage and connectivity,” he said in a statement dated October 13, 2025.
IHS, which operates more than 37,000 towers globally across seven markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia, has been scaling back in East Africa. Its Rwandan business, home to both Airtel and MTN, was one of its most mature portfolios after it acquired MTN’s towers in 2013 and Airtel’s in 2014. The company more than doubled its tower count during its time there, growing stock by about 10% year on year.
For Paradigm, this acquisition isn’t just about taking over towers; it’s about helping Rwanda close the digital gap. Despite 95% 4G population coverage, only about half the country currently has access to the Internet. The government is working to expand coverage to rural areas and densify urban networks, and Paradigm’s new assets could play a key role in that.
The $274.5 million transaction values IHS’s Rwandan business at about 8.3 times adjusted EBITDA, a premium compared to its broader group valuation. For IHS, it’s a clean and profitable exit. For Rwanda, it’s a chance to usher in a new era of connectivity under fresh ownership, one that promises to keep the country’s digital ambitions alive and growing. Well, only time will tell if the new kid on the block will keep to its word.
The doctor who uses AI to save your eyes
When it comes to AI in healthcare, few names ring louder than Dr. Stephen Odaibo, the Nigerian-American doctor who’s quietly building something groundbreaking with his company, Retina AI Health. But long before the “AI” and “MD” titles, Stephen was just a kid growing up in Ilorin, Nigeria, figuring out life like everyone else.
“I had a great childhood,” he told Techpoint Africa. “I went to University Primary School, then Federal Government College Ilorin, before heading to the US at 17.” Those early years, he said, shaped his worldview, one that proudly carries both Nigerian and American influences.
What makes Stephen’s story even more interesting is his route to medicine. While most people chase biology degrees, he went for mathematics first, and not just that, he completed a fast-track programme that earned him both a bachelor’s and a master’s in math before moving on to computer science and, eventually, medicine. “I finished my master’s at 21,” he said, “then I went to medical school.” Talk about brains and speed.
Today, Odaibo runs Retina AI Health, a startup using artificial intelligence to detect diseases just by looking at the eye. “You can tell if someone might develop Alzheimer’s or have a heart attack from a simple eye photo,” he explained. Their first target? Diabetic retinopathy, a condition affecting millions globally. The goal is to make diagnosis instant, accurate, and accessible, especially where there are few retina specialists.
And that’s not all. Odaibo is also working on Deep EigenMatics, a new venture using AI to discover drugs. Clearly, he’s not slowing down anytime soon. For more on his fascinating journey, read Asukwo’s latest story on Techpoint Africa.
ChatGPT users in Nigeria to pay more
So, it’s official. Starting November 1, 2025, OpenAI will begin charging 7.5% VAT on all its services in Nigeria. That means if you’re subscribed to ChatGPT Plus or using any of OpenAI’s paid tools, your monthly bill is about to go up. The company says it’s simply complying with Nigeria’s VAT laws, specifically Section 10 of the Value Added Tax Act (2004, as amended) and the FIRS Circular 2021/19 that mandates foreign digital companies to collect VAT from Nigerian users.
In a notice sent to users, OpenAI advised Nigerians to add their Tax Identification Number (TIN) in their account settings for proper documentation. For context, this move isn’t new. Nigeria has been tightening tax compliance for foreign digital service providers for a while now. Big names like Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Meta have already implemented similar VAT charges, which helped the government rake in about ₦600 billion in taxes last year.
So, what does this mean for users? The price of ChatGPT Plus, currently ₦31,500 ($20), will now jump to ₦33,862.50 ($22.43) after VAT. While that’s not exactly a huge difference, it’s still one more line item on the list of “things that got more expensive in 2025.” And for startups building on OpenAI’s infrastructure, like Decide and ChatATP, this change might squeeze already-tight margins.
Interestingly, OpenAI seems to have anticipated the backlash. The company recently rolled out a cheaper ₦7,000/month subscription tier for Nigerians, which might help soften the blow. Still, it’s another reminder that as Nigeria expands its digital tax net, the cost of doing business, and even learning, online keeps inching up.
Officials insist this isn’t a new tax but part of broader fiscal reforms to “restructure and consolidate” existing levies. As Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms, put it, “I challenge anyone to point to one newly added tax.” Fair enough. But for the average Nigerian user, it’s not about new or old, it’s about paying a little more for tools they use every day.
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