Telecom
MTN Raises Expenditure in Nigeria to $1Bn
MTN group has raised Nigeria’s capital expenditure (Capex) target for 2016 to about $1 billion from $700 million, despite the outstanding $3.4 billion fine issued on the telecom giant by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
Krishna Chetty, acting MTN South Africa chief technology officer disclosed this in Johannesburg yesterday.
MTN is Nigeria’s largest telecommunications network with about 60 million subscribers.
The increased capex spending by MTN may be used to improve its network-service quality and rolling out a 4G offering.
MTN Nigeria had initially withdrawn its court case challenging the NCC’s authority to issue such a huge amount of fine and made a N50 billion payment in February 2016 to meet the government’s condition for out of court settlement.
Currently negotiations between MTN Nigeria and the Federal Government are ongoing and this move by MTN to increase its capital expenditure in the country despite the outstanding amount to be paid as fine, suggests that the ongoing negotiations may yield positive fruit industry analysts said.
Ferdi Moolman, CEO MTN Nigeria, said that the company is positioned for growth and investing in different things, especially broadband services.
MTN Nigeria recently acquired Visafone, the last surviving code division multiple access (CDMA) in Nigeria.
“We have started looking at 4G and Visafone had frequency which allows us to do this extension, so if we want to start rolling out 4G and we want to take better services to the public we had to acquire a platform that will enable us do this,” Moolman said.
“We see huge potential and growth in Nigeria and Mtn wants to be part of that growth. We would like to take this company from just a telco network to something that is a people’s company,” he said.
The NCC had initially issued MTN a fine of N1.04 trillion ($5.2), relating to the timing of disconnection of the 5.1 million active MTN subscribers with improperly registered SIM cards calculated at N200, 000 for each subscriber.
Monday, 16, November 2015, was set as the deadline for payment of the fine. However, MTN pleaded for leniency and the deadline date was extended until negotiations had been concluded.
On December 4, 2015, MTN Group corporate affairs issued a release stating that although the NCC had initially sent MTN a letter that it had taken the decision to reduce the fine imposed on the MTN Nigerian business from the original N1,040,000,000,000 (One trillion, forty billion Naira) to 674 billion Naira, a reduction of 35% of the original fine which had to be paid by December, 31, 2015, a second letter which was stated to supersede the first letter was sent which informed the Company that the fine had actually been reduced by 25% to 780 billion Naira and not by 35% to 674 billion Naira, as was stated in the first Letter. The payment date remained the same.
MTN met the Federal government’s condition to pay a substantial amount of the fine before commencing out of court settlement by paying N50 billion and the announcement of increased CAPEX for this year shows that negotiations are yielding positive results and not stopping the growth of MTN in Nigeria.
Google has launched its Search Live feature globally to over 200 countries, including Nigeria, where AI Mode is available, enabling voice-and-camera conversations in users’ preferred languages.
Powered by the new multilingual Gemini 3.1 Flash Live model, it delivers natural, real-time interactions via the Google app on Android or iOS—tap the Live icon under the Search bar.
Ideal for hands-free help, users can speak queries for audio replies, follow-ups, or web links. Camera integration adds visual context, like troubleshooting a shelving unit, or pairs with Google Lens for real-world chats.
From the app or Lens, Nigerians can now explore, learn, or solve tasks instantly, boosting everyday productivity worldwide.
Clean and reliable power for telecom networks in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be expanded following a $45 million investment by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in IPT PowerTech.
The investment targets countries where limited power supply continues to slow digital connectivity and broader economic participation, the institution stated earlier this week.
To enable this expansion, the IFC is providing a $45 million corporate financing package consisting of an A-loan of $27 million and $18 million in blended finance.
The blended portion is sourced from the Canada-IFC Blended Climate Finance Programme and the IDA20 Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.
The initiative marks the IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years.
It will help scale solar- and battery-based power systems that reduce reliance on diesel and support greener, more resilient telecom networks.
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centres, and small businesses can depend on consistent digital services, said the IFC.
The funding supports the modernisation, operation, and maintenance of 2 235 telecom sites across the three nations. More than 90% of these are located in off-grid or weak-grid locations.
With new solar and battery systems powering these sites, mobile networks will experience fewer outages and improved service quality.
Optimising the energy mix is estimated to reduce power costs for operators by up to 30% in Liberia, 26% in Sierra Leone, and 52% in Ethiopia.
This transition is also expected to cut emissions by more than 10 624 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Furthermore, the partnership will promote gender inclusion by expanding opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles within the sector, says the IFC.
This agreement reflects a shared vision for a greener telecom industry and empowers the company to scale its innovative energy platforms, according to Nabil Haddad, CEO of IPT PowerTech Group.
Reliable and affordable power for telecom networks is a cornerstone of Africa’s digital transformation, said Nathalie Kouassi-Akon, IFC regional director for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.
Through this partnership, the institution is supporting a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably, added Kouassi-Akon.
The project advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, which aims to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Expedier has unveiled “Expedier for Business,” an online pro-banking platform to simplify global payments, multi-currency transactions, and financial operations for expanding companies.
Kingsley Madu
The tool centralizes payments, invoicing, payroll, and treasury into one secure dashboard, tackling challenges like fragmented systems and poor visibility that hinder international scaling.
Kingsley Madu, Co-Founder and CEO of Expedier, said: “African businesses are increasingly global… Expedier for Business was built to simplify how companies manage money across borders while maintaining visibility, control, and compliance.”
Key features include customizable dashboards for payments, invoices, and workflows; support for USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, and more; virtual cards; automated payroll/invoicing; currency swaps; and real-time tracking.
Security measures cover two-factor authentication, KYC/KYB verification, and team access controls.
As cross-border trade and remote work boom in Africa, the platform aids firms dealing with international suppliers, teams, and customers. It is now available for organizations scaling globally.
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