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Aganga, Others to Speak @ Dubai Global Business Forum

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Dr. Segun Aganga, Nigeria’s  minister of Trade and Investment; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group; and Hekeem Bello-Osagie are amongst top Nigerians expected to speak at the Africa Global Business Forum holding in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The forum organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA) will hold May 1-2 and will be attended by over 2,000 delegates from a large number of African bloc countries.

According to the Dubai Chamber, the forum tagged “Africa Global Business Forum 2013 – Dubai-COMESA’” has the theme” Bridging the Continent to the World”

Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, the forum will explore investment opportunities in Africa while highlighting the strategic role of Dubai as a world-class hub for connecting to Africa.

It will provide a better understanding of the investment opportunities and advantages associated with doing business in the African Continent.

Additionally, the participants will be able to identify the frameworks which drive growth and contribute to a favourable business environment, whilst networking with key industry peers.

The forum will host African decision makers and local speakers prominent among them being Sultan Al Mansouri, UAE minister of Economy; Reem Al Hashimy, UAE minister of State and managing director of Expo 2020 Dubai; Sindiso Ngwenya, secretary General COMESA, Zambia, as well as top Dubai and global company officials.

Hamad Buamim, director general, Dubai Chamber, said that the forum will attract global business leaders with current and potential investments in Africa while highlighting the role of Dubai as an international hub for business in and out of COMESA and Africa.

“It also aims to identify the appropriate frameworks which lead to mutually beneficial and fruitful business relations with the African Continent and economic growth while enlightening the private sector on the major positive changes which have taken place in COMESA member states and African countries in terms of business and investment climate and the reforms which have made them possible” he said.

Buamim further stressed that Dubai recognises Africa as an important emerging market and would like to capitalise on the opportunities presented for bilateral investment and trade.

“The promising markets of Africa are our priority and Dubai Chamber’s focus on the African Continent will support the competitiveness of Dubai’s business community in the overseas markets” he said.

Buamim called upon Dubai businesses to benefit from Africa’s large economic community that offers an immense scope for bilateral trade making it a lucrative and important business destination.

The Forum will offer a platform to over 2,000 policy-makers and global business leaders from Africa, the GCC, Asia and Europe and beyond to discuss current challenges and business opportunities in finance, agribusiness, logistics, and trade across the economic blocs of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the South African Development Community (SADC), the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).

The presence of Supreme Committee for Expo 2020 as a strategic partner adds to the value of the forum as this will help promote Dubai’s bid for the Expo 2020 amongst the top African officials and ministers as well as the participants who will come face to face with the capability of Dubai to successfully host the global event on its shores.

The African Global Business Forum 2013 also offers a unique opportunity to participate in interactive discussion sessions with eminent speakers while allowing participants to meet leading business leaders from Dubai and the African continent to discuss joint cooperation in the areas of trade and financial services, logistics, tourism and marketing of agricultural products.

The Forum will highlight the growing profile of the Continent as an attractive destination for investment and its diversifying economies which offer an immense scope for bilateral investment and trade making it a lucrative and important business destination. Home to seven of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world and with a population of over 1 billion people, a combined GDP of close to US$2trillion, Africa’s economic growth in recent years has made it a region of international focus.

Emirates airline, which is the official carrier for the delegates, will help promote the reputation of the emirate as a centre of trade and finance while enhancing the importance of the forum as an ideal platform for joint cooperation between Dubai and the African Continent.

The Forum follows the success of the 4th COMESA Investment Forum in Dubai from March 23 to 24, 2011 which was attended and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. More than 1,500 participants from over 80 different countries visited the conference as well as 14 senior ministers and leading personalities representing some of the largest businesses in Africa and the world


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Moniepoint Marks 10 Years of Transforming Nigerian Businesses

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Moniepoint Inc., Nigeria’s definitive platform for small businesses and Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem, today released its 2025 Year in Review, marking a decade of “financial happiness” and a transformative year of growth.

Moniepoint Marks 10 Years of Transforming Nigerian Businesses

Moniepoint

Highlighting its role as the backbone of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial economy with over 6 million active businesses, the company revealed that its microfinance bank has now disbursed over ₦1 trillion in credit to thousands of businesses from provision stores and supermarkets to building materials sellers.

It is worthy to note that on average these businesses experienced growth by more than 36% after accessing credit, signposting its primacy as a transformational growth level and instrument of deepening shared prosperity.

Moniepoint uses alternative data points that include transaction histories, business patterns and payment behaviours in a bid to accommodate what traditional credit scoring misses to drive financial inclusion and access to credit.

The company’s 2025 performance reinforces its role as a critical financial infrastructure which not only supports the Nigerian economy, but also impacts everyday lives, creating immense value.

Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint Inc (formerly known as TeamApt Inc) has established itself as the leading financial platform for Nigeria’s vast network of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), offering an integrated suite of services, including digital payments, business bank accounts, credit, foreign exchange (FX), and management tools.

During the year, as Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, now powering 8 out of every 10 in-person payments made across the country, Moniepoint MFB, the banking and payments subsidiary, processed ₦412 trillion in transaction value handling more than 14 billion transactions. This clearly suggests that Moniepoint is well-positioned to play a greater role in Nigeria’s steady march towards a trillion dollar economy by 2030.

“Our journey has been one of intentional evolution,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, Group CEO and Founder of Moniepoint Inc. “What started as a passion to solve overlooked problems has evolved into a platform powering the dreams of millions.

“As 83% of employment in Africa exists in the informal economy, our mission to create financial happiness is an operational mandate that guides our product development, our market expansion, and our capital allocation decisions.”

Beaming with enthusiasm, Eniolorunda continues, “Yet for all we have accomplished, we approach our second decade with the clarity that our work remains unfinished.

“As we enter this next chapter, we do so with strengthened conviction in our strategy, deepened partnerships with world-class institutional investors, and an organisation scaled to deliver on Africa’s entrepreneurial potential.

“The infrastructure we have built over the past decade provides the foundation. The journey is far from over, but our resolve has never been stronger. To our partners, our customers, and our team: thank you for a decade of impact. We are just getting started.”

In 2025, Moniepoint Inc. reached a series of critical inflexion points, highlighted by the successful completion of its Series C funding round, which raised over $200 million in equity financing from leading institutional investors, including Development Partners International, Google’s Africa Investment Fund, Visa, the International Finance Corporation, and Verod Capital.

The year also marked the launch of MonieWorld in the United Kingdom, extending Moniepoint’s platform to serve the African diaspora by strengthening key remittance corridors and laying the foundation for the delivery of comprehensive cross-border financial services.

Moniepoint MFB re-launched its savings product in a firm demonstration of the company’s commitment toward its’ oft stated mantra of providing financial happiness. Data reveals in terms of savings behavioral patterns, the majority of users choose to save on a daily basis, with focus across business operations (24%), rent (16.5%), and education (10%) representing top savings priorities.

The launch of Moniebook and the acquisition of a national Microfinance Bank license for Moniepoint MFB further expand the company’s regulated capabilities and product depth.

TeamApt Ltd, the switching and processing subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc., also achieved major regulatory and operational milestones in 2025 that have solidified its position in the global payments landscape. After a rigorous certification process, the company successfully secured licenses from Mastercard and Visa to act as a processor and acquirer for these global card schemes..

This strategic move allows TeamApt to support international card payments directly and offer these critical switching services to other businesses across the continent.

Monnify, the web payment gateway processed N25 trillion in the period under review, demonstrating remarkable resilience and industry confidence firmly positioning it for more business-to-business transactions.

Moniepoint’s impact extended beyond banking into critical social interventions even as the company partnered with the Federal Government to support the Rice Intervention Programme, reaching nearly 850,000 beneficiaries, and worked with the Kaduna State Government in grants disbursement to vulnerable citizens.

Through these initiatives, Moniepoint continues to build the infrastructure required to unlock Africa’s entrepreneurial potential, positioning itself as a trusted partner for the delivery of large-scale economic empowerment programmes.

As Moniepoint Inc. enters its second decade, its well chronicled decade-long evolution from a backend technology provider to a household name, directly complements the Nigerian government’s vision of a more inclusive, data-driven, and productive financial landscape. To read more about the 2025 Year in Review Report:, visit http://2025.moniepoint.com


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Paradigm Initiative Hails New Data Protection Laws as World Marks Privacy Week

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As the world observes Data Privacy Week under the theme “Take Control of Your Data,” Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has commended countries that enacted or strengthened data protection laws in the past year to protect citizens’ privacy rights.

Paradigm Initiative Hails New Data Protection Laws as World Marks Privacy Week

PIN

The week marks the January 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first international treaty on data privacy and protection.

PIN spotlighted Djibouti, The Gambia, and Burundi for passing data protection laws in June, September 2025, and January 2026, respectively. It also recognised Botswana, whose law took effect in January 2025, and Algeria, which amended its legislation in July 2025 to mandate Data Protection Officers.

“We applaud these strides,” PIN said, urging data protection authorities across Africa to prioritise implementation and enforcement to uphold data subjects’ rights.

In Nigeria, PIN’s advocacy has yielded key wins. In 2024, it challenged unauthorised websites selling sensitive personal and financial data of Nigerians for as low as N100. Strategic litigation forced United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC to pay N8 million to customer Miss Folashade Molehin for unlawfully opening a domiciliary account without her consent.

In 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled against Domino’s Pizza (operated by Eat’n’Go), awarding Chukwunweike Araka Akosa N3 million for unsolicited direct marketing via his phone. The court deemed it a violation of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 25 and 26 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023. The case originated via PIN’s Ripoti platform, which documents and redresses digital rights abuses across Africa, offering pro-bono legal aid.

Yet challenges persist. PIN warned that countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, and Western Sahara lack robust laws, exposing citizens to grave privacy risks.

It called on Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and Libya to urgently enact data protection frameworks.


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MTN Group Names Shoyinka Shodunke IT Core Design Executive Ahead of March 2026

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MTN Group has announced the appointment of Shoyinka Shodunke as Executive: IT Core Design and Delivery, effective 1 March 2026.

MTN Group Names Shoyinka Shodunke IT Core Design Executive Ahead of March 2026

Shoyinka Shodunke

Shoyinka brings more than 29 years of experience in technology leadership, digital transformation and innovation across Africa’s telecommunications sector.

His career spans several senior roles, including Director of Technology at Vodafone Ghana, Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at MTN Cameroon, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MTN Zambia, and General Manager: Architecture for the MTN Shared Services Hub in Southeast Africa.

He currently serves concurrently as CIO for MTN Nigeria and MTN South Africa, where he has led large-scale digital initiatives impacting more than 80 million subscribers and overseen a technology ecosystem comprising over 350 professionals.

Shoyinka is recognised for a leadership approach anchored in adaptive intelligence, resilient system design and collaborative value creation.

His work has focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance human creativity, strengthen system resilience and drive innovation at scale.

In 2025, he was named MTN Group CIO of the Year for his role in advancing one of Africa’s most ambitious digital transformations, supporting MTN’s evolution from a traditional telecommunications operator into an AI-enabled technology organisation.

He also received the Tech Champion in Telecoms and CIO of the Year awards at the CIO and C-Suite Awards Africa.

His academic background includes an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard Business School, an MBA from the University of Northampton, a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Management from the University of Salford Manchester, and a Bachelor of Technology in Mathematics and Statistics from the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria.

In his new role, Shoyinka will lead the development and execution of standardised and AI-enhanced IT architectures across MTN’s footprint.

His responsibilities will include integrating AI-driven automation, predictive analytics and digital transformation initiatives to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and service agility, while accelerating innovation cycles and time-to-market.


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