Telecom
9mobile, Ahmadu Bello University rekindle Decade Long Strategic Partnership
Innovative and youth-friendly telecommunications company, 9mobile has announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
This announcement was made during a recent visit of 9mobile’s leadership team to the institution. This partnership first established 10 years ago, has been revitalized to bring new and exciting opportunities to the institution and the learning community.
The renewed partnership will leverage the strengths of 9mobile’s technology to provide the institution with world-class virtual learning tools and products, internships for students of the Master’s programme instituted in 2013, and Sabbatical leave opportunities for lecturers, among other initiatives.
The telco will also upgrade the existing Telecoms Engineering laboratory it previously installed to offer students and lecturers the highest level of support and improve the capacity of the department to deliver quality teaching.
Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile, Juergen Peschel who led the team, said, “We are excited at rekindling our partnership with this great institution of learning. This partnership, which was established a decade ago, is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility which is aimed at bridging the shortage of highly skilled local manpower in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry following identified knowledge gaps.
“We are eager to work with the leadership of ABU once again, and we believe this renewed partnership will bring exciting new opportunities for the institution.’’ he enthused.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Admin, Prof Ahmed Ibrahim, in his welcome remarks said, “We appreciate the collaboration and partnership with 9mobile over the years because it has strengthened the capacity of the Telecommunications Engineering department of the institution to manage the fast-changing technology age.
“The Telecommunication laboratory established by 9mobile in 2013 serves internal stakeholders and enables external institutions to carry out industry research. We believe this renewed partnership will create more opportunities for our students and 9mobile”.
9mobile launched the 9mobile Telecommunications Engineering Program 9TEPP, in partnership with Plymouth University UK; Etisalat Academy, UAE; Huawei; and National Office for Technology Acquisition & Promotion (NOTAP).
The key objective of the programme is to contribute at developing local manpower with regard to telecommunications technology skills and knowledge. The long-term goals were to develop a pool of telecom technology experts to serve as a possible workforce for 9mobile and other verticals, promote industry/academia partnerships, and sustainably empower society through strategic and innovative CSR initiatives.
9mobile funded four ABU Lecturers to obtain their Ph.D in Communication Engineering from the Plymouth University, United Kingdom and more than 30 MSc. Students graduated from the programme on a fully funded scholarship by 9mobile.
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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