Telecom
MTN Nigeria Empowers Youth through Vocational Workshop
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc in partnership with Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, organized a vocational workshop on Thursday, 4th August 2022, for Lagos residents, which was held at the Surulere Vocational Center.
L-R; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; Director of monitoring and investigation, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Mustapha Ibrahim; Chief Corporate Services Officer, MTN Nigeria, Tobechukwu Okigbo; Student at Surulere vocational center, Dorcas Omoshola and HOD Vocational Director, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Ayodele Salu during the visit by MTN staff to the Surulere vocational centre on Thursday, August 4, 2022 as part of 2022 Y’ello Care
The workshop tagged, “Business Registration in Nigeria” was to equip the students at the vocational centre with the knowledge needed to build a brand, register their business, and gain insight on the importance of doing so.
The workshop, which was part of the activities for the 2022 Y’ello Care campaign, brought together youths looking to advance their knowledge on business registration and tax payment.
Theresa Chikwendu, senior manager, Corporate Transactions, MTN Nigeria, shared her wealth of knowledge on the importance of registering a business. Participants were able to gain career insights through coaching, and business action plans for success, which will enable them to outperform expectations continuously.
Tobechukwu Okigbo, chief corporate services Officer, MTN Nigeria, expatiated on the importance of abiding by the law by ensuring payment of taxes by a business. He also expressed his pleasure at having a 90% female audience in attendance saying, “When you empower a woman, you empower a community.”
Also speaking at the workshop, Odunayo Sanya, executive secretary, MTN Foundation, said, “we believe for our business to do well, our people in the community must do well. As contributors to society, we stand to equip and empower people, and oftentimes, we do not do this alone, we collaborate and partner with like-minded organizations like Huawei who is also present today”
Ayodele Salu, HOD Vocational Director, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, while appreciating MTN’s effort at the Surulere Vocational Centre, said, “Today MTN did not just come to teach us, but they also provided training equipment for students. We grateful for MTN’s continued support and we look forward to a stronger partnership”.
This year’s Y’ello Care theme tagged, “Empowering Communities to Drive Economic Recovery”, seeks to inspire MTN employees to rise to the challenge of upskilling local communities through digital skills training, to boost economic activity and involvement. Some projects MTN Nigeria executed this year through the Y’ello Care initiative include; financial education and empowerment programs for women and youth across Nigeria on MoMo PSB, employability skills training and graphics design masterclass, and a hackathon event for youths across Nigeria. In partnership with Huawei, MTN also organized digital and vocational skills training for women and youths.
MTN is committed to adding economic value by contributing to society through its programs focused on education, digital skills, and training. By organizing this workshop, the company strives to ensure it continues to strengthen and uplift community members in their pursuit of economic development.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
NBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Surge in Fibre Cuts Hobbles Service Provisioning
Why Bandits, Kidnappers are Hard to Trace despite NIN-SIM Linkage – FG
First Securities Brokers Empowers Nigerians to Trade in the Stock Market with the Launch of FirstInvest App
Quest Merchant Bank Hosts Great Place to Work® Nigeria Study Mission
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Slashes Cost of Broadband Internet Router, Unwraps New Data Bundles for Low-Budget Users
E-Financial3 days agoNigerians Accumulate $59Bn in Cryptocurrency Assets —FDC
E-Financial3 days agoFlutterwave Partners Xoom on Transfers into Nigeria
General News3 days agoNearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
News3 days agoDataPro Upgrades Dangote Cement’s Credit Rating to AA+
E-Business3 days agoTinubu Orders NIMC to Enrol Every Nigerian by End of this Year – DG
Telecom3 days agoNokia’s 14 Years of Mobile-Phone Supremacy Ended in an Afternoon
General News3 days agoFintech Brands Should Communicate Right in a VUCA Economy