Telecom
Danbatta Tasks Staff of NCC Zonal Office Ibadan to Sustain Effective Service Delivery
Staff of the Ibadan Zonal Office (IBZO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), have been tasked by Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, to sustain their commitment to regulatory effectiveness in keeping with Commission’s strategic objectives.
Danbatta made the call to the staff not to rest on their oars, recently at Ibadan when he visited the IBZO of the Commission en route Osogbo to deliver the 10th and 11th Convocation Lecture of the Fountain University.
The EVC, management and other staff in his entourage, were earlier received on arrival at Ibadan by the Controller, Ibadan Zonal Office of the Commission, Yomi Arowosafe, who led the EVC and his team on a tour of the Zonal Office.
Speaking later at an interactive session with staff of the Zonal Office, Danbatta commended the zonal controller and his team on the good work they have been doing in ensuring the people of the zone feel the presence and impact, as well as the significance of the Commission’s regulatory activities.
The EVC particularly urged the staff of the Commission not to relax because of the successes that have been recorded. Rather, he implored the staff to rededicate themselves decidedly, to their assigned responsibilities, in order to sustain effective delivery of regulatory services to the people of the zone in keeping with Commission’s commitment to ensuring greater regulatory effectiveness.
Danbatta asserted that his appeal takes life off the fact that the Commission and its staff have become major drivers of the Federal Government’s vision for the birth of a robust digital economy as encapsulated in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 and the Nigerian national Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.
The NCC CEO reminded the staff of the necessity to internalise the regulatory imperatives of the Strategic Management Plan (SMP), 2021-2024, as well as the Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) 2021-2025, both of which are streamlined implementation roadmaps by which the Commission plans to actualise the national digital economy and broadband targets as articulated by the Federal Government.
In his response, Arowosafe who spoke on behalf of the staff of the Zonal Office, expressed gratitude to the Management for the visit and promised to ensure the zonal office sustains effective delivery of NCC’s regulatory services to the people of the geo-political zone.
Staff in the EVC’s entourage to the zonal office include NCC’s Director, Projects, Abigail Sholanke; Director, Digital Economy, Dr. Austin Nwaulune; Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde; Head Research and Development, Kelechi Nwankwo; and other senior management staff of the Commission.
The IBZO was established in October 2005 to bring the Commission’s regulatory services closer to the South West geopolitical zone, except Lagos and Ogun which are in the purview of Lagos ZonalOffice. However, the jurisdictional sphere of the Ibadan Zonal Office, however includes other South West states and Kwara State.
The recently constructed NCC Zonal Office building at Ibadan became fully functional in 2015 when the Commission’s Management directed staff to commence operational activities from the new complex.
Clean and reliable power for telecom networks in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be expanded following a $45 million investment by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in IPT PowerTech.
The investment targets countries where limited power supply continues to slow digital connectivity and broader economic participation, the institution stated earlier this week.
To enable this expansion, the IFC is providing a $45 million corporate financing package consisting of an A-loan of $27 million and $18 million in blended finance.
The blended portion is sourced from the Canada-IFC Blended Climate Finance Programme and the IDA20 Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.
The initiative marks the IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years.
It will help scale solar- and battery-based power systems that reduce reliance on diesel and support greener, more resilient telecom networks.
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centres, and small businesses can depend on consistent digital services, said the IFC.
The funding supports the modernisation, operation, and maintenance of 2 235 telecom sites across the three nations. More than 90% of these are located in off-grid or weak-grid locations.
With new solar and battery systems powering these sites, mobile networks will experience fewer outages and improved service quality.
Optimising the energy mix is estimated to reduce power costs for operators by up to 30% in Liberia, 26% in Sierra Leone, and 52% in Ethiopia.
This transition is also expected to cut emissions by more than 10 624 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Furthermore, the partnership will promote gender inclusion by expanding opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles within the sector, says the IFC.
This agreement reflects a shared vision for a greener telecom industry and empowers the company to scale its innovative energy platforms, according to Nabil Haddad, CEO of IPT PowerTech Group.
Reliable and affordable power for telecom networks is a cornerstone of Africa’s digital transformation, said Nathalie Kouassi-Akon, IFC regional director for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.
Through this partnership, the institution is supporting a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably, added Kouassi-Akon.
The project advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, which aims to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Expedier has unveiled “Expedier for Business,” an online pro-banking platform to simplify global payments, multi-currency transactions, and financial operations for expanding companies.
Kingsley Madu
The tool centralizes payments, invoicing, payroll, and treasury into one secure dashboard, tackling challenges like fragmented systems and poor visibility that hinder international scaling.
Kingsley Madu, Co-Founder and CEO of Expedier, said: “African businesses are increasingly global… Expedier for Business was built to simplify how companies manage money across borders while maintaining visibility, control, and compliance.”
Key features include customizable dashboards for payments, invoices, and workflows; support for USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, and more; virtual cards; automated payroll/invoicing; currency swaps; and real-time tracking.
Security measures cover two-factor authentication, KYC/KYB verification, and team access controls.
As cross-border trade and remote work boom in Africa, the platform aids firms dealing with international suppliers, teams, and customers. It is now available for organizations scaling globally.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched the Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) to enhance digital security and fight telecom fraud.
NCC
Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman, represented by Executive Commissioner Rimini Makama at an Abuja stakeholders’ forum, stressed mobile numbers (MSISDNs) as vital for banking, authentication, and services—but vulnerable to misuse via recycled, churned, or barred SIMs.
“The TIRMS Platform is a secure, regulatory-backed, cross-sectoral solution… to provide a uniform approach for managing risks relating to the integrity and utilisation of registered MSISDNs,” Maida said.
Objectives include better MSISDN access for accountability, fraud checks on dormant/suspicious numbers before service access, and proactive verification across sectors.
Proposed rules mandate 14-day churn notices, seven-day data submission to TIRMS, and blocking of fraudulent lines. Success hinges on telecoms, banks, security agencies, and others.
Maida highlighted NCC’s collaborative rulemaking for a “One Government” approach.
Cybersecurity Director Olatokunbo Oyeleye called digital trust an “operating licence” for growth: “Every mobile number in Nigeria [must] be trusted… TIRMS will safeguard users, reduce fraud, and reinforce confidence in our digital economy.”
TIRMS bridges gaps with CBN, NIMC, CAC, SEC, and PENCOM, aiming to cut fraud and boost trust.
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