Telecom
Telecom Regulator, NCC, Digital Encode, AfriGoPay Support eBusinesslife Girls In ICT Campaign
The nation’s telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its commitment towards ensuring that the gender disparity in the ICT career sector is bridged.
eBusinesslife
This statement was made with its backing of the 2026 edition of the International Girls in ICT Day campaign being organised by eBusiness Life Communication Limited.
The event which will hold at the Lagos Oriental Hotel on Thursday June 25, 2026 is part of an annual campaign initiated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to sensitise and encourage young girls to delve into ICT and related careers, which is seen to have been dominated by the male gender. The 2026 theme is “AI For Development: Girls Shaping The Digital Future”.
Digital Encode Limited, an award-winning, cybersecurity consulting and integration firm has also indicated interest in being part of this year’s campaign.
Digital Encode specialises in enterprise network security, digital forensics, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). The firm is well-known for its vendor-independent approach and for providing digital trust and threat mitigation solutions across Africa
The firm is a trusted advisor for many organizations in Africa, offering a broad suite of information security services.
Digital Encode Founder and Chief Visionary Officer (CVO), Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale had been an advocate of youth skills empowerment, and the chairman, Advisory Board of Cybersafe Foundation, promoters of Cyber Girls Initiative.
AfriGOpay Financial Services Limited has also joined the partnership train.
AfriGOpay Financial Services Limited is the company behind AfriGO, Nigeria’s first domestic card scheme, launched by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).
The domestic card scheme is designed to provide secure, cost-effective, and localized payment services, including debit, credit, prepaid, and virtual cards.
By processing transactions locally, AfriGO ensures “data sovereignty,” meaning Nigerian payment data remains within the country, which improves security and reduces dependency on foreign exchange.
With the support for girl in ICT, AfriGOpay has committed to ensuring that the gender disparity in ICT career is bridged.
Citing ITU’s estimate of skills shortfall of over two million jobs in the ICT sector by 2030, Convener, Girls-In-ICT/CEO, e-Business Life Communication Limited, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro (‘Daro), said girls and young women who learn coding, apps development and computer science will not only be well-placed for a successful career in the ICT sector, but ICT skills that are rapidly becoming a strong advantage for students in just about any other field they might choose to pursue. “Girls with ICT skills can expect to earn good salaries and enjoy plenty of career opportunities.
Girls in ICT Day reminds us that ICTs help to improve the lives of people everywhere – through better health care, better environmental management, better communications, and better educational systems that transform the way children and adults learn.”
Referencing the 2026 theme, Mrs. Daro noted: “Artificial Intelligence, in all of its forms, is the development vehicle. While there is a gender gap in every industry, the largest gaps are found in the STEM fields.
Women in ICT often find themselves in junior or support roles rather than in managerial roles, with little opportunity for advancement.
They are also less likely to hold an executive position, become ICT entrepreneurs, or be represented among science and technology policymakers.
To thrive in STEM, girls and young women must be exposed to women in leadership positions, fostering inspiration and breaking down barriers that hinder their progress.
The Girls in ICT Day 2026 theme aims to address these challenges, encouraging empowerment and skills development for a more equitable future in STEM.”
The 2026 International Girls in ICT celebration event will feature different competitions among female students from widely selected private and public secondary schools.
These include STEM Quiz and practical tech competitions. Other features of the day will include Student’s Roundtable Discussion; interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals.
Awards and gift prizes will be given to winning schools and students of the Quiz and Tech competitions. Also Awards will be given to deserving women that have exemplified themselves in the ICT industry.
The International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative launched through ITU Resolution 70 with the idea of creating a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the field of information and communication technologies.
The Union declared the 4th (fourth) Thursday in April every year as a day to highlight the annual campaign to encourage girls and young women to consider careers in ICT, and society is reminded to support them in their choice.
At the end of the event, it is expected that the young students should be able to introspect and pursue any desired career path in ICT, technical or not, without bias, or being gender conscious.
This year’s event will have top government and private sector executives in attendance.
Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.
Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).
This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.
The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.
The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.
Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.
As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.
According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.
“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.
He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.
“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.
Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.
“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.
“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.
The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.
On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.
He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.
“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.
“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.
Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.
“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.
He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.
“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.
Telecom
Treepz Partners with CMS T&M to Digitize Public Transportation for Millions of Lagos Commuters
Treepz has officially announced a strategic partnership with CMS Taxi & Motor Nigeria Limited (CMS T&M) to modernize public transportation through digital technology to ensure cashless, transparent and more efficient commuting for passengers across CMS – Ajah routes.
The partnership brings together Treepz’s transportation technology and CMS T&M’s decades of experience moving passengers.
By integrating Treepz’s digital mobility platforms into CMS T&M’s operations, passengers will enjoy a faster, safer and completely cashless payment experience, while the transport operators gain access to real-time operational insights, digital ticketing and improved revenue management.
Speaking on the partnership, Johnny, Co-Founder of Treepz, said: “Public transportation is the backbone of every thriving city. Our mission has always been to use technology to make commuting easier and more efficient for everyone.
“Partnering with CMS T&M represents another important milestone in digitizing public transportation in Nigeria and empowering operators with the tools they need to scale sustainably.”
He added: “By replacing manual ticketing and cash collections with digital systems, we’re creating greater transparency for operators while delivering a better everyday experience for commuters.”
Also commenting on the partnership, Andrew Akhigbe, Managing Director of CMS T&M, said: “CMS T&M has proudly served Lagos commuters for decades, and innovation has always been essential to our growth.
“This partnership with Treepz allows us to embrace modern technology that improves operational efficiency, enhances accountability, and delivers a more convenient travel experience for our passengers.”
The collaboration reflects a shared commitment by both organizations to accelerate the digital transformation of Nigeria’s transport sector while improving the quality, reliability and accessibility of public mobility.
Treepz continues to expand its footprint across Africa by providing technology solutions that help transport operators digitize their services and deliver better customer experiences.
Beyond public bus operators, the company also powers mobility solutions for businesses, educational and religious institutions as well as governments seeking smarter transportation systems.
As Lagos continues to evolve into one of Africa’s largest smart cities, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology can reshape urban mobility, making transportation more connected, efficient and accessible for millions of commuters.
Visit website: https://www.cmstaxiandmotor.com
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