Telecom
Experts Warn of Technology Risks as IT Adoption Increases
Dr.Obadare Peter Adewale, an IT and Cybersecurity expert, has warned stakeholders in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector to be ready for the impending Cyber pandemic, which he said is being accelerated by the rapid adoption of IT, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr.Obadare explained that the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated technology adoption in Nigeria, which he said could cause technology risks that could lead to Cyber pandemic.
Dr. Obadare who is also the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Digital Encode Limited, gave this warning at the 2020 Beacon of ICT Distinguished Lecture and Awards held on Saturday, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.
Giving further insight, Dr Obadare revealed that IT comes with some inherent risks and that with its massive adoption; we may likely witness Cyber pandemic.
According to him, “Technology has changed our lives and the way we do things as a people, COVID-19 also further accelerated the technology adoption in the country.
“With these massive adoptions we are creating digital champions which May likely lead to technology risks, as more people are embracing technology.”
To prepare the country on the looming crises, Dr. Obadare called on both the government and stakeholders alike to start harnessing the potentials of digital natives.
He stated that there’s need for the country to start engaging and harnessing the positive potentials of these young people, adding however, that we cannot produce the next Mark zuckerberg if we keep neglecting the digital natives.
Equally, the Chief Operating Officer of Digital Encode Limited noted that Cybersecurity can take Nigeria out of recession if properly harnessed.
He emphasized that we can change our fortune as a nation with education, especially, if we take capacity building seriously.
Adding that providing specialized capacity education for our digital natives is what will take Nigeria out of the woods.
He enumerated four focal areas which we should focus on in order to take the nation out of recession, while calling on standard organisation of Nigeria to consolidate on the immense intellectual property resource in the country and make it exportable in order to take the country out of recession.
Earlier, Dr. Chris Uwaje, chairman, Mobile Software Solutions Limited called on IT practitioner to ensure that they bestowed IT culture to the upcoming generation.
According to him, “We are here because we believe in this venture called ICT Nigeria.
“We believe in the digital adventure, but we are doing this, not for us but for the future, the coming generation, we must really bestow something to them.”
He noted that as a nation, we neglect ICT sector which he said holds the future of the nation, while adding that the sector must not be allowed to die.
He said, “We must empower the Nigerian ICT sector to be able to spin better than we met it.
“We need to change our mentality in terms of bringing in the digital natives into the industry.”
Dr, Uwaje added that these digital natives speak technology from the inside.
He called on the organizers of BoICT Awards to ensure that their next keynote speaker is a digital native, someone between the ages of 15 to 25 years because they speak technology from the inside.
“If you look at the ecosystem of those who have been able to puncture technology, they are all digital natives with average age of 25 to 32 years, because they speak technology from the inside.
“We must recover the lost talents of our youths in technology; we can only dialogue for one purpose of creating the future so that ICT will not die.”
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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