Telecom
National Integration: NIPR Offers Solution, Seeks Collaboration with NCC
The elusive national integration has become a worrisome subject to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, for which it has mapped out a strategy for a multi-ethnic and multi-sectoral strategy to be consummated through a National Integration Summit slated for August this year.
After a nationwide consultation with different interest groups, a four-man council team of the institute, led by Dr. Ike Neliaku on behalf of President of the Institute, Mukhtar Sirajo, visited the Head Office of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to intimate the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, about the steps already taken to ensure that the unique summit comes to fruition.
Neliaku said the key objective of the visit was to see how the Institute will leverage communication to address security concerns, enhance peace building, and facilitate national integration. Describing NCC as one of the pillars of Nigeria’s national integration efforts, he said the institute believes the Commission will partner in the successful hosting of the “Citizens Summit on National Integration, Peace and Security (CSNIPS)” which takes place in Abuja, from 23rd to 24th August, 2022.
In the processes leading to the summit, Neliaku said the Institute had organised zonal dialogue sessions with leaders of thought, representing ethnic and institutional interests, and had met with a diverse group of state and non-state actors as a way of rallying all stakeholders to support the project and participate in the implementation of its resolutions.
“The central objective of this summit is to emplace a new way of re-inventing citizenship” he said, emphasizing that the proposed summit fits into NIPR’s doctrinal professional practice principles to build and maintain image, relationship, peace and harmony.
He also applauded the Nigerian Communications Commission under Danbatta’s leadership, for exceptionally upholding the legal prescriptions of the Institute in appointing professionals in the management of its public relations activities, which also aligns with professional principles and practice of public relations as prescribed in the NIPR Charter.
“This explains why the NIPR is always enthusiastic in partnering with NCC whenever the opportunity presents itself, and we look forward to NCC’s support towards successful hosting of the Summit,” he said.
Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs of NCC, who received the team on behalf of Prof. Danbatta, said the purpose of the visit is striking to the disposition of the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission who admires every efforts that will contribute to national integration.
He promised that the Commission will certainly partner in this particularly “impressive, seminal and laudable project” in the context of the proposed Summit.
Muoka said the EVC of NCC, holds NIPR in high esteem, “which is the reason he cherished the visit and asked me to receive you in his stead. You can rest assured that he will be positive to this request for collaboration for the good of the nation”.
The NCC spokesman said he was particularly delighted that NIPR, to which he belongs, would be the first that he was receiving on resumption as the Director of Public Affairs at the Commission.
He told the council delegation comprising of Neliaku, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman (retd), Lady Chinenye Ihuoma, and Ohaeri Osondu, all Fellows and Council Members of NIPR, that the Commission will continue to collaborate with the NIPR for direction in best practices in corporate relations.
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.
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