Telecom
21st Century Technologies, US Partner to Deepen Digital Ecosystem in Nigeria
21st Century Technologies, Pan-African Information and communication technology powerhouse, is keying into the United States of America’s vision to propel digital transformation and foster the digital ecosystem in Nigeria.
Wale Ajisebutu, CEO of 21st Century Technologies.
The vision got a boost recently as the US unveiled a tech and creative space named American Corner in 21st Century’s corporate headquarters in Lekki, Lagos.
By this move, 21st Century becomes one of the 245 centres where the US has established American Corners since 2000.
The center was commissioned by Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, who was joined by Wale Ajisebutu, CEO of 21st Century Technologies.
Blinken disclosed that America Corner, which now has presence in approximately 60 countries, was poised to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity amongst youths.
He explained that US partnership with 21st century was deliberate and aligns with the country’s objective to advance technology and creativity among Nigerian youths.
21st Century is reputed to be first in Nigeria to have deployed Fibre optics network in 1997 and also pioneered Nigeria’s data centre infrastructure, which has been shaping the country’s digital landscape.
Blinken said, “Back in November of 2021, I had an opportunity to come to Nigeria and to talk about building a 21st century partnership, a 21st century partnership with Africa countries, and to move from those questions about what we can do for Africa to a different question, what can we do with Africa.
“I see this playing out in so many places now as we work together to meet shared challenges that no single one of us can effectively meet alone, and the bottom line, to actually deliver results to our people”
American Corner boasts of resources and facilities like digital studio, workshops, multimedia and tech equipment, among others.
The facilities are made available freely for young Nigerians to explore their inventiveness, entrepreneurial, and creative interests.
Commenting on the initiative, Ajisebutu said, “This is a testament of our dedication to tech advancement and of course, our passion for tomorrow’s leaders. We have always believed in partnership as a key element of success. We want to be part of Nigeria’s innovation journey to becoming most advanced digital services in Africa and beyond”.
The launch of the space was also witnessed by government representatives from both Nigeria and US, including David Greene, United States Chargé d’Affaires, and Consul General in Lagos as well as Dr. Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
Remarking, Tijani hinted on Nigeria’s moves to be the next destination for technology.
“We are presently investing in talent, so we want Nigeria to become the next destination of technology talent in the world which is why we are training 3 million of such talents.
Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Monday commended the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) for spearheading a new initiative known as ‘Project Bridge’.
Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON, stated in an interview with NAN in Lagos that the initiative aimed to create a robust and resilient telecommunications backbone across Nigeria.
Emoekpere stated that the project was an ambitious public-private partnership designed to connect all 36 states and Abuja, as well as LGAs, via fiber optic cables.
According to him, the initiative is not meant to replace existing infrastructure but to complement it, creating a more resilient network.
“Right now, most of the networks that we have are linear in nature. ’Just imagine, if there’s only one road from Lagos to Ibadan; if anything happens to that road, you would not get to Ibadan.
‘’This project will create alternative routes,” he said.
The ATCON boss stated that the project was modeled after the successful PPP framework in the energy sector, with the government contributing a certain percentage to the Special Purpose Vehicle and the private sector providing the remaining funding.
He stated that the project’s goal was to establish alternative, redundant connections, thereby ensuring that services remained uninterrupted even if one part of the network was compromised.
The president expressed the full support of telcos, noting that the project would enable members to deliver services more effectively in locations where infrastructure was currently a significant challenge.
“With this project, we will have multiple options,” he said.
Project BRIDGE involves building a nationwide fiber optic network to expand digital infrastructure and connectivity, rather than a physical bridge, as part of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan.
The project is a public-private partnership ($2 billion cost) using an SPV to deploy 90,000km of fiber-optic cable to enhance education, healthcare, and the digital economy.
MTN Nigeria has successfully completed a scheduled network maintenance operation that affected 101 sites across 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa, Borno, and Kano States.
The restoration marks a significant step in the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability in the Northeast region, amidst multiple fibre cuts and vandalism.
The maintenance, which took place on Sunday, August 24, involved the cutover of traffic to a newly installed fiber span along the AFCOT–Bawo Village route in Adamawa State.
This upgrade was necessary to replace a previously damaged section of the network infrastructure. All service maintenance was done within timeframe and restorations before 1 PM on Sunday August 24th.
We can confirm that all impacted sites have been fully restored, and services are now operating normally. We appreciate our subscribers’ patience and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused during the downtime.
The affected services included 2G, 3G, 4G, and enterprise connectivity, with temporary disruptions experienced in LGAs such as Girei, Song, Mubi North, Hong, and Michika in Adamawa; Askira/Uba and Shani in Borno; and Nasarawa in Kano.
The work was scheduled during daylight hours to ensure the safety of field engineers, given the linear and unprotected nature of the route.
This restoration is part of MTN’s broader strategy to strengthen its infrastructure in underserved regions and ensure consistent service delivery across Nigeria, amidst constant fibre cuts and vandalism.
TikTok has launched its music insights platform, TikTok for Artists, in Nigeria to support artist growth and fan engagement across the country’s vibrant music industry.
The platform, which debuted globally earlier this year, provides artists, labels, and management teams with access to daily-updated dashboards and analytics tools to track music performance, audience demographics, and fan interactions.
Toyin Mustapha, Head of Music Partnerships for the UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, said the initiative was part of the company’s commitment to empowering African creators.
“With the launch of TikTok for Artists in Nigeria, we’re giving artists and their teams access to insights that can help them engage their fans in more meaningful ways and grow their careers globally,” Mustapha said.
The platform offers detailed song performance metrics, including views, posts, and creator engagements per track. It also provides granular post-level data such as likes, comments, shares, and completion rates, alongside demographic breakdowns by gender, age, and language.
In addition to analytics, TikTok for Artists includes educational resources and step-by-step guides to help artists build sustainable careers.
A key feature of the platform is the Pre-Release tool, which allows artists to launch campaigns for upcoming albums and enables fans to pre-save tracks on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
British artist Jordan Adetunji described the platform as a “game changer,” noting its value in helping artists and their teams plan effective campaigns.
TikTok said the rollout reaffirms its investment in Africa’s creative economy and aims to foster deeper connections between artists and fans across the continent.
The platform is now available to all certified TikTok Artist Accounts, with access also extendable to managers and label teams.
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