Telecom
Fidelity Bank Reinforces Commitment to Digital Technology, Adopts Open Banking
In line with its commitment to the adoption of innovative digital technology to drive its retail strategy, reduce cost and improve revenue and returns, Fidelity Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Open Technology Foundation (OTF) for the adoption of a standard Application Programming Interface (API) for its operations as a financial institution.
Open Banking is a system that provides a user with a network of financial institutions’ data through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs).
The Open Banking Nigeria Standard defines how financial data and services should be created, shared and accessed. By relying on networks instead of centralisation, open banking helps customers to securely share their financial data with other financial institutions.
The bank recently took a bold step to further provide its consumers with improved services and solutions that meet their needs by leveraging the collaborative model of Open Banking.
Through this partnership, Fidelity Bank would deepen its financial services delivery through appropriate and time sensitive channels whilst collaborating with other stakeholders within the ecosystem.
Open Banking has been seen as the most transformational financial technology over the next decade which has seen about 47 countries at various stage of implementation.
Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria signaled its intention to lead Africa in digital payments innovation with the request for information about the National Payments System Vision 2030 for which Open Banking is a strategic priority.
Additionally, Fidelity Bank has by this development, joined other leading banking and financial services industry players, who have not only adopted but are also promoting this mode of operation, which among other benefits would drastically consolidate customer satisfaction, grow revenue across diverse streams, promote financial inclusion, as well as assure a smooth but controlled data flow.
“As a digitally innovative and forward-thinking bank, we believe in the importance of investing in digital technologies and its significant contributions to shaping the future of banking globally” said Fidelity Bank CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo.
“Therefore, this partnership with the Open Technology Foundation for the adoption of a standard, industry-wide API is a step in the right direction and is in alignment with our commitment to digital innovation, for the satisfaction of our customers” he explained further.
The Open Technology Foundation was established to analyse the need of the industry for a common API standard among banks and other financial institutions, develop the common API standards, provide a sandbox and other testing tools for certification, promote the adoption of an Open Banking standard with stakeholders across Nigeria, and to enable further innovation in the financial services industry.
“At Open Technology Foundation, it is our utmost delight to collaborate with players across the banking and services ecosystems for the introduction, adoption and promotion of Open Technology practices.
“We are convinced that this is one great move that would transform the financial space in Nigeria, with ripple effects across other industries in the country and by extension Africa,” said Ope Adeoye, a trustee of Open Technology Foundation.
Focused on select niche corporate banking sectors as well as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Fidelity Bank is rapidly implementing a digital based retail banking strategy which has resulted in exponential growth with savings deposits tripling over the last five years and over 40 percent of customers enrolled on the Bank’s flagship mobile/internet banking products.
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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