Telecom
Zwarttech Rebrands to ‘Zarttech’ Sets to Double Down on its Mission to Bridge The Gap
Zwarttech, the Netherlands-based tech startup that bridges the opportunity gap by connecting the top 1% senior IT Experts from Africa with businesses in the West on a full or hybrid remote basis, has today announced that it is changing its name to Zarttech to strengthen its service offerings and consolidate its market position.
Founded in 2020 by Nelson T. Ajulo, the objective of Zwarttech is to spread economic opportunities to Africa from the West to the large numbers of senior IT talents in Africa so they can access high paying jobs from the comfort of their home.
This innovative approach has ensured that senior software experts do not need to move away from their loved ones, thus discouraging Africa brian drain while economically contributing to the Western economies, since the African resource is a perfect solution to the scarcity of senior Tech resources that the west is facing.
Since its launch, Zwartech has amassed over 800 vetted senior software developers from 15 African countries with the most robust IT pool from Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa. Zwarttech has over 100,000 portfolios of senior IT experts, has more than 22 partners, including Invest Africa, The Hague Security Data (HSD), Google, StartupGrind and EU-Startups among others. In addition to this, the startup has worked with happy clients from Europe, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada, India, and the United States.
With the vision, objectives and mission remaining the same, Zarttech aims to expand the unprecedented achievements of Zwarttech by getting the backing of big Non-Governmental Organisations, working with CSR departments and attracting more clients from across Europe, the US, the UK and other parts of the world without any bias.
Commenting on the name change, the founder of Zarttech, Nelson T. Ajulo, said, “I started Zwarttech to bridge the inequality gap I see growing up in our worlds, one where there is abundance and one where people struggle for their daily needs.
So bridging inequality was more about equity for us, boosting the weakest among us to have access to basic daily necessities, giving voice to those who are not heard and creating a platform that can connect the underutilised human resources and talents around the world.
“The thinking behind this is that if Zwarttech is successful, we can bring about positive reinforcement through identifying success, technology, innovation, globalisation, entrepreneurship, and positivity to the world. But our society is not ready, so we are changing our name from Zwarttech to Zarttech.
“We strongly believe that with Zarttech, we can start this vital conversation with this society and win their backing.
“This will eventually enable us to achieve our big mission to change the world, adding more positivity and possibilities while creating a new economy.”
Ajulo adds: “We are excited to continue our journey of bridging the opportunity gap with Zarttech, by connecting the top 1% of senior IT Experts from Africa with businesses in the West and upskilling underserved communities in the Netherlands, Nicaragua and several African countries (Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco) for free.”
Ajulo concludes that the name change also affects other Zarttech social solution projects, including Zart Talent Foundation (made up of Zart Academy, Zart Recruit and Zart Hub) and ZartCyber.
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
Kaspersky Discovers New Phishing Campaign Exploiting Google Tasks Notifications to Steal Corporate Credentials
esentry 2025 Report Shows Healthcare, Financial Services and Telecoms as Staging Grounds for Increased Cyberattacks in Africa
E-Financial3 days agoNigeria’s VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M’25 – NBS
Telecom3 days agoFG Approves GIS-enabled Digital Postcode to Tackle Logistics Gaps, Boost E-commerce
E-Business3 days agoFirm Enhances its Security Awareness Platform with SCORM and PDF Support
E-Financial3 days agoBinance Cuts Illicit Activity Exposure by 96%, Leads Global Crypto Compliance Push
E-Financial3 days agoNAICOM Signs MoU with BPP to Deepen Insurance Compliance in Public Procurement
E-Financial2 days agoSenate Targets Fintech Overreach, Vows Ponzi Crackdown After ₦1.3trn CBEX Scam
Telecom3 days agoGSMA, African Operators, Others to Launch Low-cost 4G Devices
General News2 days agoFCCPC Bans Lagos ‘No Refund’ Policy, Vows Fines and Shutdowns for Traders