Telecom
NITDA Collaborates with PAN Africa Female Youth Initiative on Digital Literacy
National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, is expanding its collaboration tentacles to strengthen digital inclusiveness through a partnership with the Pan African Female Youth Initiative (PANFYL) focused on upscaling digital literacy among women.
This pact was reached during the visit of the founder of PANFYL and some of her executive members to the NITDA corporate head office in Abuja.
PANAFYL is a coalition of young female progressives across the African continent, aiming to end the digital gender gap by championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education among girls and women.
The Director General of NITDA could not agree less with the vision of the PANFYL, he clearly affirms that the agency is constantly ensuring the inclusiveness of all genders, including persons with special abilities, in its implementation processes of the mandates enshrined in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the NITDA Strategic Road Map and Action Plan (SRAP, 2021-2024).
Inuwa emphasised that NITDA has several educational programmes at all levels/demography, irrespective of gender or physical abilities, leveraging both physical and online platforms.
He mentioned the NITDA Academy and the ongoing partnership with Coursera, CISCO, and a host of others, which are open to all and sundry online.
He elaborated on the need for continued collaborations with industry stakeholders in providing diverse platforms to enable digital capabilities to aid the attainment of the 95% digital literacy goal by 2030.
The NITDA Boss acknowledges that the IT development and regulatory government agency is assiduously working towards enabling opportunities for collaboration with international, local, private, and non-governmental organisations such as the World Bank and some indigenous NGOs, Nat View, the Gina Mata Initiative, and a few others.
“Digital literacy is essential in finding, evaluating, creating, and communication through cognitive technical skills through the application of Information Communication Technology,” Inuwa explained the necessity to equip the Nigerian populace with the benefits of technology especially with the potential embedded in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Although the NITDA boss revealed that there have been challenges in getting a good number of women to attend these programmes, he hopes that the collaboration with PANFYL will improve the sensitization campaign for more women to become digitally literate.
Inferring from the Rockefeller Foundation, he said that, “there are issues of socio-cultural norms and income disparities; based on statistics, we have also seen that 42 percent of women are earning way less compared to men in terms of what they are supposed to earn because of their limited abilities within the digital space”.
He further disclosed, “with the aim to close the gap that exists between men and women in terms of use and access to digital technologies, we have come up with a national gender digital inclusion strategy in a draft format for now.”
He added that the vision of the strategy is to enhance women’s participation, positioning them among the drivers of economic growth and development.
The strategy should also address issues like a safe online experience, protection against online harassment or threats, and equal opportunities for men and women.
“We believe that leadership is about inclusivity. That’s why at NITDA, we delegate, empower people, and encourage them to make decisions,” he added.
Mr Inuwa proceeded to discuss game theory, stating that there are two types of games, finite and infinite games. A finite game has known rules and known players, while in an infinite game, there are no established rules.
He said to succeed in an infinite game, there are five principles; first, a just cause, second, a trusting team that would support the leadership. Third, a worthy rival, fourth, the need to have existential flexibility, and lastly, the courage to lead.
He assured the team that the training proposal would be reviewed to capture where both organisations’ objectives align for collaboration, and hopefully, looks forward to jointly hosting the summit before the end of the year to have the summit and training.
“I believe that with this kind of initiative, we can be able to bring our women to parity with their male counterparts, and we look forward to having a productive partnership with you,” said Inuwa.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has strongly condemned Gabon’s ongoing suspension of major social media platforms—Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—ordered by the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAAC) on February 17, 2026.
Social Media
NetBlocks and independent monitors confirm widespread disruptions persisting as of February 20, driving users to VPNs amid unstable nationwide connectivity.
PIN described the blanket shutdown as a grave breach of digital rights, including freedom of expression and access to information, silencing discourse during anti-government protests and a labour strike.
The digital rights group highlighted the absence of specific violation evidence, legal basis clarity, or restoration timeline from HAAC, rendering the measure disproportionate.
Gabon’s actions contravene Article 9 of its Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19), and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Article 9), failing international legality, necessity, and proportionality tests.
NetBlocks estimates a $2.96 million (FCFA 1.78 billion) Total Cost Impact over two days from WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube outages, crippling entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, journalists, and civil society reliant on these platforms.
The shutdown disrupts commerce, digital payments, customer engagement, and livelihoods—especially youth and informal sectors—in a nation with prior digital curbs during unrest.
PIN urged immediate full platform restoration, HAAC transparency on legal grounds and order details, and ISP notices detailing government directives.
ISPs and tech firms must uphold UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ensuring transparency on connectivity orders and avoiding complicity in violations.
This pattern undermines Gabon’s transparency, civic participation, and democratic governance commitments.
Banks and telecommunications operators in Nigeria have ended a four-year dispute over nearly N300bn owed for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data services (USSD), with the debt now fully cleared, according to Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, announced the resolution on Thursday during an official visit to Idris Olorunnimbe, chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
He credited the intervention of the NCC, led by Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of the commission, with bringing the long-standing dispute to a close.
“When Dr Maida assumed office, he inherited significant industry challenges,” Adebayo said.
“One of the most difficult was the USSD debt crisis, a debt burden that grew over four years to nearly N300bn. It had become a systemic risk to our sector and the digital financial ecosystem.
Through firm leadership, structured engagement, and decisive coordination, Dr Maida and his team resolved this issue.
Today, there is no outstanding USSD debt. The ecosystem has fully migrated to end-user billing. What was once a looming crisis has been converted into a sustainable framework.”
The clearing of the debt ends years of accusations and counter-accusations between banks and telecom operators, which had threatened the stability of digital financial services in the country.
Adebayo praised the NCC’s leadership for steering the telecom sector through one of its most delicate periods, noting other interventions, including last year’s approval of a 50 per cent USSD tariff.
He described the resolution of the debt crisis as a milestone for the telecom and digital finance ecosystem, ensuring sustainability and predictability for operators and service providers.
Nigeria’s telco and bank billing for USSD services transitioned to the end-user billing model in mid-2025, moving charges from bank accounts to customers’ mobile airtime, which is deducted directly by telecom operators.
This shift resolved the long-standing dispute in which banks owed operators up to N300bn in unpaid USSD fees.
The transition arose from years of tension between telecom operators, including MTN and Airtel, and banks over USSD revenue sharing, with debts peaking at N250–300bn by 2024.
The NCC, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, developed the EUB framework to standardise billing, enhance transparency, and support financial inclusion for unbanked users who rely heavily on USSD codes.
Under the EUB system, charges are now deducted directly from mobile airtime at N6.98 per session lasting up to 120 seconds, with user consent prompts issued before each deduction. Banks no longer bill for USSD services; telcos handle them exclusively, with regulatory safeguards preventing double-billing. Users can opt in or out of the service, and banks are required to notify customers in advance of any USSD session charges.
Migration to the EUB model began between June 3 and 18, 2025, following partial debt repayments amounting to N171bn. By February 19, 2026, banks had fully cleared the remaining debt, solidifying the EUB rollout.
The model improves user control through immediate airtime deductions and session notifications, similar to voice and SMS billing. While some critics have expressed concern over potential burdens on low-income users, the transition strengthens telecom revenue sustainability and contributes to the stability of Nigeria’s digital financial ecosystem.
Credit: Punch
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and MTN Nigeria have launched free, high-speed WiFi services for passengers at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The partnership, both bodies explained, will be followed up with similar development taking place at the airports in Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu within the next few months.
Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, managing director of FAAN, officially unveiled the internet service at MMIA Terminal two.
Kuku, who was represented by Capt. Abdullahi Mahmood, director of Airport Operations, described the initiative as a major milestone partnership for the aviation ecosystem.
The FAAN boss said the milestone marked a new benchmark in digital infrastructure and passenger experience across Nigerian airports.
According to her, the free WiFi service will be extended to the MMIA Temporary Terminal within weeks, before extension to Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Kano international airports over the next three months.
“In 21st century Nigeria, no Nigerian airport should be an offline island.
“This collaboration with MTN Nigeria demonstrates how effective Public-Private Partnership (PPP) alignment can modernise infrastructure and strengthen the country’s digital economy,” she said.
Kuku assured travellers that FAAN was committed to closing service gaps and enhancing operational efficiency across airports nationwide.
“This WiFi is our promise that FAAN is listening. We have turned on the signal today, but the signal we are truly sending is this: Nigerian aviation is writing a new chapter; one of innovation, partnership, and unwavering commitment to excellence,” she said.
Kuku said the project was a key component of the digital economy agenda led by President Bola Tinubu and the transformative vision of Mr Festus Keyamo, minister of Aviation.
She commended MTN Nigeria for its technical expertise and investment in the project, describing the partnership as purpose-driven and transformative.
On his part, Mr Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, who was represented by Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief enterprise business officer, assured passengers that the service would be reliable, secure and efficient.
“We are proud to announce the launch of a free WiFi service across major airports in Nigeria in partnership with FAAN.
“This initiative reflects a shared commitment to improving passenger experience and enhancing digital accessibility,” Toriola said.
He noted that airports served as critical gateways for business travellers, tourists, airport personnel and service providers, all of whom required seamless connectivity.
“With this service, travellers waiting to board, in transit, or upon arrival can now stay connected freely and effortlessly,” he added.
MTN Nigeria also announced plans to activate on-ground engagement campaigns at the Lagos and Abuja airports over the next month to drive awareness and encourage usage.
According to the telecom giant, the project reinforces its commitment to national infrastructure development and expanding digital access in public spaces.
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