Telecom
Mastercard Partners JAN to Empower Next Generation of Digital Entrepreneurs
Mastercard has partnered with Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) to help bridge the digital and financial literacy gap amongst school students and young adults in Nigeria.
Through a series of programs, the students will be equipped with essential skills to prepare them for future success as digital entrepreneurs.
JAN is part of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the world’s oldest and largest non-profit economic education organization operating in 120 countries.
The partnership forms part of Mastercard’s global commitments to connect 25 million women entrepreneurs to the digital economy, reach 50 million small businesses and financially include 1 billion people in the next five years.
Leveraging the expertise of Mastercard employee volunteers, the partnership with JAN will inspire young adults across Nigeria through three unique activations:
Mastercard Girls4Tech Program: An inquiry-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, Girls4Tech inspires young girls to build the skills they need in STEM to become problem solvers and the leaders of tomorrow, thereby expanding the employment pool for women STEM professionals in the future. The program incorporates Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation, and includes topics such as algorithms, digital convergence and cryptology.
Mentoring participants of the JA Company Program: JA Company Program teaches senior secondary level students how to start and run their own business, develop a product or service, and market their brand. Mastercard employees will volunteer as mentors to the six finalist teams (companies) who emerged from JAN’s Virtual Company of the Year competition, by helping them refine their business proposals as they compete for the National Company of the Year Award.
Digital Payments Literacy Webinar: Together, Mastercard and JAN will educate over 200 young adults on the future of payments in Nigeria. Participants will range from senior secondary students to National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members. This session will enlighten the next generation on their role in building and driving the digital economy through technology.
The partnership will also see the first Junior Achievement – Mastercard prize awarded to the most outstanding student company during the virtual edition of the National Company of the Year (NCOY) competition.
Ifeoma Dozie, director, Marketing and Communications, Sub-Saharan Africa at Mastercard, said, “Creating inclusive, equal opportunities is a key priority for Mastercard.”
“Through this partnership with Junior Achievement Nigeria, we are able to broaden our commitment to Nigeria’s next generation of women leaders and young entrepreneurs.
“By encouraging students to embrace subjects and mentoring them through challenges that will prepare them to be part of tomorrow’s workforce, we are collaborating to develop a talented supply of skilled professionals to aid the country’s future economy.”
While commenting on the partnership, Oduolayinka Osunloye, director of Marketing and Innovation, Junior Achievement Nigeria, expressed her gratitude to Mastercard adding that the partnership is a huge step in achieving JAN’s vision of developing 1 million digital entrepreneurs over the next five years.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with Mastercard to develop young digital entrepreneurs.
“It took us 20 years to reach our first million students but with technology and the support of organizations like Mastercard, we are determined to equip and empower another million digital entrepreneurs over the next five years.
“We are certain our efforts will help our beneficiaries own their economic future, as JAN is committed, more than ever to build conscientious business leaders leading a vibrant economy.”
JAN has built a record of accomplishment over the past 20 years by delivering high quality entrepreneurial, financial literacy and work readiness programs to secondary school students and out-of-school youths across Nigeria and recently hit a major milestone of one million students reach.
Spacecoin, US-based, has announced the signing of recent agreements with local authorities and operators to launch satellite connectivity pilot projects in Africa.
The initiatives, focused on Kenya and Nigeria, aim to serve areas where terrestrial networks remain limited or unavailable.
n Kenya, Spacecoin has obtained a transmission license from the Communications Authority, allowing it to test satellite-based solutions for connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas with limited internet access.
According to the Kenyan regulator, internet penetration remains below 50% of the population, despite mobile penetration exceeding 130%.
In parallel, the company is continuing operations in Nigeria under an existing license issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This authorization supports initiatives aimed at delivering affordable broadband connectivity to isolated and underserved communities.
Spacecoin’s approach is based on a decentralized satellite network using nanosatellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Combined with blockchain-based protocols, this architecture is intended to offer more flexible and cost-effective connectivity services than traditional networks, while also enabling the integration of IoT solutions for a range of uses, from smart agriculture to infrastructure monitoring.
These projects are part of a broader strategy to help narrow Africa’s digital divide, where a significant share of the population still lacks access to reliable internet services.
Satellite technology is increasingly viewed as a complement to terrestrial infrastructure, particularly in hard-to-reach areas where deployment costs and geographic constraints remain high.
Beyond Africa, Spacecoin is also running pilot projects in Asia, working with local partners to test the viability of its model across different regulatory and geographic environments.
According to the company’s management, growing interest from regulators reflects a shift toward solutions capable of reaching populations that have long been excluded from internet access.
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, today announces the appointment of Khaled Salah, 37 years old, as Vice President of Africa.
Khaled Salah
In this new role, he will be responsible for about 30 employees to ensure the successful implementation of AVEVA’s growth strategy. Khaled Salah will report directly to Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region.
A 15-years + career across different industries and domains
With a MBA in management from the Warwick business school, UK, and a master’s degree in engineering from Ain Shams university in Egypt, Khaled Salah is an active advocate for driving sustainable progress in the industrial sector. With Sustainability in mind, Khaled is keen on making a positive business impact, while fostering progress for people and the planet.
He started his career at Schneider Electric, in 2013 in the global supply chain and evolved through various roles such as Europe procurement and supply chain strategy Manager, and Global Commercial strategy Director for the industrial automation business. Khaled Salah has developed a strategic understanding of all those fields.
After 12 years in Schneider Electric, Khaled joined AVEVA in 2022 to lead AVEVA and Schneider Electric global strategic partnership, across all industries managing a team of 30 people.
He has led the introduction of new AVEVA software solutions to initiate and develop significant growth areas across all Schneider Electric verticals.
Ambitious plans for AVEVA in Africa
In addition to his current role as AVEVA and Schneider Electric partnership Vice-President, Khaled now takes over the management of AVEVA’s activities in Africa.
Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region says: “Africa is a strategic region for AVEVA. In this major industrial market, customers, world leaders in the fields of Energy, Metal & Mining, Chemicals, and Water, are looking for AVEVA’s expertise to accelerate and drive their digital transformation and sustainability strategies, as well as their energy transition projects.
“Khaled Salah’s qualities of leadership in a global environment will benefit his team spread across 12 countries including Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.”
Motivated by the prospect of capitalizing on the talent of his team to strengthen AVEVA’s presence in Africa in the years to come, Khaled Salah says: “Helping my team realize their professional potential is close to my heart.
“We will work together to support and accelerate the digital transformation of industries in Africa, in particular through CONNECT, our industrial intelligence platform, with the support of our ecosystem of partners. »
A Google-Ipsos report reveals Nigerians topping global AI usage at 88%, surpassing the 62% worldwide average, with sharp rises in education and business applications.
“Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the hands of more people” shows 93% of Nigerians using AI for learning complex topics versus 74% globally, 91% for work assistance, and 80% for new ventures—nearly double the 42% global rate.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, stated: “Nigerians are creatively using AI to unlock opportunities for learning, growth, and economic empowerment, shaping their future with technology.”
Key findings highlight 91% viewing AI positively for learning access, 95% expecting benefits for students and educators, and strong optimism—80% excited versus 20% concerned, compared to global 53%-46% split. Frequent users show 90% excitement
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