Nigeria is partnering with Burkina Faso on Project Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE), to extend terrestrial fiber-optic routes through Niger and Benin, aiming to cut Burkina Faso’s internet transit costs by up to 50 percent.

Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and Dr. Aminata Zerbo-Sabané, his Burkinabe counterpart, have sealed a deal to establish a joint technical committee for regional digital integration at a meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital.

At the centre of the discussions was BRIDGE, Nigeria’s connectivity initiative aimed at expanding access to faster, more affordable and resilient internet infrastructure.

Under the proposed collaboration, technical teams from both countries will assess connectivity routes linking Nigeria to Burkina Faso through Nigeria-Niger-Burkina Faso and Nigeria-Benin-Burkina Faso corridors.

The assessment is expected to identify a viable pathway for lowering Burkina Faso’s internet connectivity costs by up to half.

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The two countries also agreed to establish a Technical Working Committee to develop an implementation framework for the partnership.

The cooperation will extend beyond fibre infrastructure to other areas of the digital economy.

Nigeria and Burkina Faso plan to explore collaboration on digital skills and talent development, including the potential sharing of Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) model.

The countries will also seek to strengthen ties between their startup ecosystems, support Burkina Faso’s Innovation Campus and collaborate on artificial intelligence, local-language technologies, shared computing infrastructure, cybersecurity and research.

Tijani said the engagement forms part of Nigeria’s broader outreach to neighbouring countries, following a recent visit to Benin Republic, with planned engagements in Niger and Chad.

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Federal government said the broader objective is to leverage the country’s expanding digital infrastructure and capabilities to support shared economic opportunities across borders, strengthen regional digital integration and position Nigeria as a digital gateway connecting West Africa and the Sahel.

As the federal government is thinking os helping Burkina Faso, Nigeria’s internet cost is too high.

The cost of internet in Nigeria is driven by a 50% tariff floor increase approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), pushing average mobile data to over ₦431 per GB.

Major telecom networks, fiber providers, and satellite services like Starlink have raised prices due to severe inflation, local currency devaluation, and expensive diesel maintenance for cell towers.

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Cybercriminals have developed a new Android malware that can turn victims smartphones into a bridge for stealing bank card information and carrying out contactless payment fraud, cybersecurity researchers have warned.

The malware, identified as WindRelay, operates in conjunction with a known remote-access trojan, SpyNote, to capture live information exchanged between a physical bank card and an Android phone via Near Field Communication (NFC).

NFC is the short-range technology that enables contactless payments when a bank card or smartphone is tapped against a payment terminal.

According to cybersecurity firm Group-IB, WindRelay was detected in the wild in August 2025 and has been used in a social-engineering scheme targeting victims in Czechia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Meanwhile, the fraud begins with a phone call, text message or other communication in which criminals pretend to be bank officials.

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The victim is persuaded to install an application, often personalised with the victim’s name, and once installed, SpyNote gives the criminal remote access to the phone and can silently install WindRelay, with the victim then tricked into placing a physical bank card against the infected smartphone, supposedly for identity verification, PIN change, or account resolution.

WindRelay reads the card’s NFC signals and sends the information in real time to another device controlled by the criminal, with such a device then imitating the victim’s card at a payment terminal or ATM, as the victim’s smartphone becomes a wireless bridge between the victim’s bank card and the criminal’s device.

Group-IB said it identified 23 WindRelay samples uploaded to VirusTotal between November 2025 and July 2026, with the malware samples impersonating financial institutions in Czechia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Meanwhile, the development adds to existing concerns over the use of mobile devices in cybercrime and financial fraud in Nigeria.

In June, the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) issued an advisory on IPIDEA malware and malicious residential proxy networks, warning that the malware could hijack consumers internet connections and use compromised devices as part of criminal proxy networks.

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While the ngCERT advisory concerns a different malware and attack method, both incidents highlight a growing risk: ordinary smartphones and connected devices can be secretly turned into tools for cybercriminals.

This is particularly relevant as Nigerians increasingly rely on smartphones for mobile banking, digital payments and other financial services.

Consequently, cybersecurity experts have advised users not to install applications sent through unsolicited calls, text messages or links, especially when the sender claims to represent a bank, as users should also be suspicious of requests to place payment cards against smartphones for supposed account verification.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cleared additional Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) for admission into its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP).

Among the newly cleared is BC Access Nigeria Limited (Blockchain), marking an important step in the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria and its broader expansion across Africa.

Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets, where crypto increasingly plays a practical role in how people access, hold and move.

Value Admission into ARIP means Blockchain has satisfied the SEC’s initial requirements to participate in the programme and is authorised to operate within its defined sandbox scope, subject to the Commission’s ongoing compliance obligations, testing parameters, and regulatory conditions.

Through ARIP, Blockchain can work directly with the SEC as the Commission evaluates digital asset business models, tests. appropriate safeguards and develops its long-term regulatory framework for the market.

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Speaking, General Manager for Africa, Blockchain, Owen Odia, said: “Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets and participating in the SEC’s ARIP is an important step forward in our long-term commitment to the country.

“The programme gives us the opportunity to work directly with the SEC in a controlled environment, bring our global experience to the Nigerian market and help support a framework that protects consumers while enabling responsible innovation. We appreciate the SEC’s proactive approach and look forward to contributing to a safe, transparent and well-regulated digital asset ecosystem.”

Blockchain’s participation in ARIP forms part of a broader global strategy to engage constructively with regulators and build within established regulatory frameworks.

Over the past year, Blockchain has secured several formal licenses and registrations globally, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), and Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) License. Participating in Nigeria’s ARIP sandbox builds on that experience, bringing global standards in compliance, security and consumer protection to its local operations.

For Blockchain, ARIP provides a structured environment to test services for the Nigerian market, strengthen consumer protections and work directly with regulators and local stakeholders.

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The company sees Nigeria as an important market in its African strategy, with strong existing demand for digital assets and an increasingly clear regulatory pathway for responsible operators. The company’s strategy materials specifically identify Nigeria as an important market for its African expansion.

ARIP was established by Nigeria’s SEC as a controlled regulatory sandbox for VASPs and fintech innovators. The programme allows the SEC to observe live applications of digital asset technologies, study operational risks, and establish tailored investor protection and anti-money laundering (AML) standards before final regulatory rules are codified.

Blockchain is pleased to participate in ARIP as we work alongside regulators to support responsible innovation, consumer protection and market integrity.

Founded in 2011, Blockchain is one of the world’s longest-standing digital asset companies with more than 95 million wallets, more than 44 million confirmed accounts and over $1.2 trillion processed.

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