Telecom
AfriTECH2021: NiRA Describes .NG Platform Unique for Brands Positioning
The .ng domain name has been described as a platform for unique positioning of brands and products online.
Cross section of speakers and panelists at Africa Tech Alliance Forum AfriTECH2021 held in Lagos (Nigeria) recently
Mr Muhammed Rudman, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), stated this at the 2021 Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH2021) held in Lagos, Nigeria recently.
Rudman represented by Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata “CFA”, a director at NiRA, said that .ng domain name enables the connection of businesses to the entire world, making it possible for you to reach out to people irrespective of where they are, and showcase your skills, products and dreams.
Similarly, the NiRA’s President emphasised the need for increased internal dependence in Nigeria through improved local investments in the startup ecosystem.
He said that while most celebrated companies in the country are funded by foreigners, there is an urgent need to balance the investment portfolios to prevent future capital flights.
“These companies are all foreign-led and foreign-dominated, which we are thankful for because if those foreigners don’t bring the money, we’d probably not have these companies so we are thankful for that,” he said.
“But how can we now make the transformation in order to start building local resources in some of these companies?”
The answer given by Rudman was simply “practical and efficient ways of doing things”.
The resource you can get from your investment is almost predictable and that’s the beauty of how you deal with technology.
“Technology is an enabler, it’s a leveller, it levels the playing field,” Rudman reiterated.
All skills can be learnt at any level. Irrespective of who you are or where you are, you have the opportunity and what you need is access to the Internet.
“The good thing is that broadband penetration is growing and so we have all the indices we’ve been working for as a country. That is why we should be more calculative in ensuring that digital transformation has come to stay.
Explaining the essence of the .ng domain, Rudman explained that it gives businesses identity online and separates them from the cluster of others, especially on social media.
“Social media is amazing but if you’re a business owner it will be wise to own your uniqueness so people can reach out to you.”
Giving an instance, he pointed out the issue encountered by Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp recently, where all the platforms were shut down due to technical issue (already resolved).
“Business owners who only rely on Instagram for their sales probably had to rethink the fact that anything can still happen in the future,” he said.
“The .ng domain is a platform for the unique positioning of your product. It enables the connection of businesses to the entire world, making it possible for you to reach out to people irrespective of where they are, and showcase your skills, products and dreams.
“The .ng domain is NiRA’s national brand and the company encourages small businesses to start with the domain so as to thrive seamlessly.
“I want to encourage everyone because we all have a collective responsibility to ensure we build the digital economy. At the end of the day, it is our responsibility to build the economy,” he told participants at AfriTECH2021.
Conclusively, he said: “A lot more is still possible, we need more collaboration and we need to be much more celebrated about what we do with the opportunities available.”
In the wake of increasing geopolitical tension, Cassava Technologies has unveiled its National Sovereign Cloud offering for African governments.
The solution, the company claims, will help the continent’s governments ensure data is kept on infrastructure that remains under local legal and operational jurisdiction.
According to the official announcement, made yesterday, the solution provides “secure, locally-governed digital infrastructure that enables the deployment of AI-enabled public services”.
The overarching solution encompasses cloud, cyber security, AI computing infrastructure, as well as local language AI models and skills support for governments.
The announcement comes amid increasing uncertainty over the hosting of sensitive national data on cloud services operated by foreign hyperscalers, which are subject to legal frameworks, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act. The CLOUD Act opens the door to allow American authorities to access data stored on the servers of US hyperscalers, wherever those servers are physically located.
Cassava has claimed separately that currently, “approximately 33% to 45% of the world’s data is hosted in the USA”.
The company added: “A sovereign cloud reduces exposure to extraterritorial laws, improves cyber resilience, and ensures that model weights and training data for public AI remain under national custody.”
The Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 Economic Report states that “data sovereignty has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever”.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology and AI Officer, Cassava Technologies said: “Across Africa, governments are accelerating their digital transformation agendas and are increasingly focused on ensuring that data and digital infrastructure remain secure and sovereign.”
Announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, this week, the Sovereign Cloud offering launch accompanied the launch of Cassava’s Cloud Partner programme.
The partner programme targets mobile network operators and system integrators across Africa to resell and distribute AI, cloud, and other digital services using Cassava’s infrastructure and technology platforms.
El Beheiry added: “We are expanding Africa’s sovereign AI ecosystem to build solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges while creating new opportunities for growth and digital inclusion.”
The programme offers partners access to NVIDIA Cloud Partner solutions, Cassava’s AI Factory, its own native AI solutions and its AI Multi-Model Exchange, which supports both Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
Police Says Victims Enable Cyber Attacks Out of Ignorance
Bank Accuses Magistrate, Lawyer of Using Fake Order to Steal N3.5m from Account
FG Launches NERD to Combat Certificate Fraud
NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis
Goodnews Naija Launches ‘Building in Nigeria’ Series on Entrepreneurs, Real Sector Builders
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh Foundation Bolsters Nigeria’s Education Drive with ₦2.7m Student Support
Kaspersky Brings more Transparency to Threat Detection with New Hunt Hub
PwC Reveals AI Scaling Gap Slows Africa’s Digital Transformation
Firm Reviews the Evolution of Phishing Threats in 2025
Kaspersky Discovers New Phishing Campaign Exploiting Google Tasks Notifications to Steal Corporate Credentials
E-Financial2 days agoNigeria’s VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M’25 – NBS
Telecom2 days agoFG Approves GIS-enabled Digital Postcode to Tackle Logistics Gaps, Boost E-commerce
E-Business2 days agoFirm Enhances its Security Awareness Platform with SCORM and PDF Support
E-Financial2 days agoBinance Cuts Illicit Activity Exposure by 96%, Leads Global Crypto Compliance Push
E-Financial2 days agoNAICOM Signs MoU with BPP to Deepen Insurance Compliance in Public Procurement
General News2 days agoNERC Orders DisCos to Refund ₦20.33Bn Meter Costs to Customers
Telecom2 days agoGSMA, African Operators, Others to Launch Low-cost 4G Devices
E-Financial1 day agoSenate Targets Fintech Overreach, Vows Ponzi Crackdown After ₦1.3trn CBEX Scam