Telecom
Digital Encode, NeuRaL AI, NiRA Back NITRA ICT Growth Conference 4.0
Leading Cyber security and Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) company, Digital Encode and Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm, NeuRaL AI, have indicated interest in collaborating with ICT industry media body, the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), on its forthcoming annual multi-stakeholder conference.
Also partnering with NITRA for this year’s event will be the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA). NiRA is the domain registry that manages Nigeria’s .NG Domain System, overseeing Nigeria’s country code top-level domain, .ng.
The event, NITRA ICT GROWTH CONFERENCE, which is in its fourth edition, is scheduled to hold at the Citiheight Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday August 28, 2024 has its theme as “Impact of AI On National Development: Prospects, Policies, and Challenges in Nigeria”.
Speaking on support by Digital Encode and NeuRaL AI, NITRA Chairman, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that they are in line with current realities of security in the cyberspace, and their contributions will go a long way in exposing the needed precautionary measures needed as Nigeria looks towards utilizing AI in both government and private sector processes.
The event targets to bring stakeholders in the ICT industry to discuss and find ways of accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) growth in the industry as a means of achieving laudable federal government set targets and policies, including those recorded in policy documents by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the NCC and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Under its “NITRA ICT Growth Conference”, which seeks to bring a multi-sectorial development agenda, NITRA is organising a multi-panel interactive conference that will look at the themes that include:
- “Driving Sub-Sectoral Digital Growth With Artificial Intelligence”.
- “Navigating the Dangers of AI In A Developing Economy: Role of Public, Private Stakeholders”.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, industry associations will also make their inputs. They include ALTON, ATCON, NiRA, among others.
He further noted that with the latest support of Digital Encode and NeuRaL AI, participants are sure to have an illuminating discuss on the security needs for AI and how it relates to other web-security needs.
Digital Encode is a leading Cyber security and Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) company founded in 2003 that specializes in the design, management, and security of business-critical networks, telecommunications environments and other Information Technology (IT) infrastructures.
NeuRaL AI, led by Oluseyi Akindeinde, is a Lagos-based provider of essential support to organisations intending to build and deploy Large Language Models (LLMs). The company has been focused on helping Nigerian businesses adapt to the emerging world of artificial intelligence and also helping them adopt the same in their operations.
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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