TeamApt Ltd., a subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc. and a leading financial infrastructure provider, has partnered with Awabah, the National Pension Commission’s first licensed Accredited Pension Agent, to expand pension access for millions of Nigerians in the informal economy.

The partnership was unveiled in Abuja at the launch of Awabah’s agent licence, themed “Building Financial Resilience: Securing the Future with Personal Pensions.”

At the event, PenCom Director-General Omolola Oloworaran underscored a major imbalance in Nigeria’s pension system, noting that while pension assets have grown to over ₦27 trillion, the benefits remain largely concentrated among formal-sector workers. She observed that most informal-sector workers—who make up the majority of Nigeria’s workforce—still retire without any form of savings.

This challenge is further highlighted in Moniepoint’s 2025 Informal Economy Report, which reveals that although 65 per cent of informal businesses recorded revenue growth, most lack the structural resilience required for long-term sustainability and succession.

Through the partnership, TeamApt—a Central Bank of Nigeria–licensed switching and processing company—will enable seamless pension registration and contributions for Awabah users via its Direct Debit service on Point of Sale (POS) terminals nationwide. Informal workers can enrol for personal pensions, tokenize their cards, and automate periodic contributions in just a few steps.

The initiative simplifies pension savings by turning what was once a complex, bureaucratic process into a routine transaction, enabling business owners and workers to build financial security beyond their productive years.

“When we started Awabah, we were driven by one core belief—that no African worker should be one accident or crisis away from poverty,” said Tunji Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Awabah.

“This partnership with TeamApt allows us to scale that vision. By leveraging their Direct Debit service and extensive POS network, we are meeting informal workers where they already operate—markets, workshops, kiosks, and roadside businesses. With small, regular contributions, workers can now access personal pensions bundled with health, accident, and life insurance,” he added.

TeamApt CEO Dennis Ajalie said the collaboration aligns with the company’s long-standing mission to power Nigeria’s informal economy.

“At TeamApt and Moniepoint Inc., our focus has always been on enabling the informal sector,” Ajalie said. “Today, working within our licence framework and alongside our co-subsidiary, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, we operate across all 774 local government areas, serving millions of Nigerians who drive economic activity.”

He described the partnership as a critical step toward pension inclusion, adding that it demonstrates how financial infrastructure can deliver real, long-term value to everyday Nigerians.

Ajalie also praised PenCom’s leadership for creating an enabling environment for innovation, noting that Oloworaran’s reforms have opened the door for partnerships capable of delivering sustainable pension coverage for informal workers.

The initiative is powered by TeamApt’s robust financial technology ecosystem, which has supported banks, fintechs, and financial institutions for more than a decade. Its omni-channel Direct Debit service allows automated recurring collections—such as pension contributions, subscriptions, and repayments—directly from customers’ bank accounts with their consent.

Beyond pensions, the platform enables informal workers to automate investments in the capital market, access healthcare through HMOs, and secure insurance coverage for themselves and their families—extending financial security far beyond retirement.

FlashChange, Africa’s fast-rising digital asset management and cross-border payment platform, had its Chief Executive Officer, Bidemi Oke, featured as a speaker at the latest edition of Startup Grind Lagos, one of the largest global communities for entrepreneurs and innovators.

Held on Saturday, February 28, 2026 in Lagos, the event convened founders, investors, developers, and ecosystem builders for a candid conversation on innovation, resilience, and scaling technology ventures in emerging markets. Oke shared insights from FlashChange’s journey building a trusted digital finance brand in Nigeria’s evolving fintech and crypto landscape.

During the fireside chat, Oke shared practical lessons from scaling FlashChange in a highly regulated and fast-changing environment. He emphasized the need for startups to build strong governance structures early, maintain open communication with regulators, and design solutions that solve real economic pain points, particularly around remittances, foreign exchange access, and digital asset utility.

“In markets like Nigeria, trust is not a marketing slogan, it is the product,” Oke said: “For us at FlashChange, growth has always been tied to transparency, compliance, and delivering consistent value to users navigating cross-border payments and digital assets.”

He also addressed the broader opportunity within Africa’s fintech ecosystem, noting that innovation on the continent must balance speed with responsibility.

“The next phase of African fintech will be defined not just by who grows fastest, but by who earns and keeps user confidence. Founders must think beyond valuation headlines and focus on building institutions, he added”

“Innovation is important, but sustainability is critical. At FlashChange, we are building for the long term” Oke noted.”

The session featured an interactive Q&A session where participants engaged him on several topical issues. He underscored the importance of proactive communication, especially in industries where misinformation and volatility can quickly erode public confidence.

Startup Grind Lagos Director, Mayokun Adeoti while commending Oke for offering practical, founder-focused insights, he said, “His experience provides valuable lessons for startups building in complex regulatory environments.”

FlashChange has continued to position itself as a reputable voice within Nigeria’s fintech and digital asset ecosystem, advocating for regulatory clarity, financial literacy, and secure transaction infrastructure. The company’s participation in Startup Grind Lagos reflects its commitment to contributing meaningfully to conversations shaping the future of innovation in Nigeria.

The Startup Grind Lagos appearance marks another milestone in FlashChange’s thought leadership journey and reinforces its growing role in Nigeria’s digital finance ecosystem.

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB), Nigeria’s foremost ICT infrastructure and shared services provider to the Federal Government, wishes to reiterate and clarify the availability, maturity, and ongoing expansion of the Federal Government’s official email infrastructure, widely known as GOVMAIL.

GOVMAIL is a secure and centralized official email platform established for use by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to facilitate professional, auditable, and efficient communication across all arms of government.

The platform was launched by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs, Didi Esther Walson-Jack as part of a broader digital transformation agenda aimed at modernizing public service workflows and reducing reliance on paper-based correspondence and fragmented, external email services.

Recent statements by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, underscore the strategic importance of GOVMAIL in the wider push towards a paperless civil service.

In late 2025, she announced that over 100,000 official GOVMAIL accounts had been created for civil servants across federal MDAs under an expanding paperless policy and that the transformation reflects a clear shift away from traditional paper correspondence to secure digital communication at scale. Today, that number has grown to over 150,000 Official government email accounts, current in use by government workers across MDAs.

Galaxy Backbone also affirms that these email accounts operate within a protected sovereign government domain environment hosted on secure local infrastructure, supported by enterprise-grade cybersecurity architecture.

The platform underpins centralized identity management and ensures compliance with national data protection standards, reinforcing accountability, audit-trail visibility, and overall digital governance efficiency.

In addition to GOVMAIL, Galaxy Backbone operates secure national Tier III and Tier IV Data Centres, a robust National Fibre Backbone, a Security Operations Centre (SOC), and a Network Operations Centre (NOC) that jointly power mission-critical government digital services. This infrastructure is closely aligned with the Federal Government’s digital economy strategy and its efforts to deepen digital service delivery, transparency, and efficiency across MDAs.

To accelerate adoption and ensure that every government worker who is expected to have an official email has one, GBB is working collaboratively with MDAs to close existing gaps and onboard remaining staff within the shortest possible time. These coordinated efforts reflect the shared objective of equipping public servants with the digital tools necessary for responsive, efficient, and secure inter-agency communication.

Galaxy Backbone remains committed to working with stakeholders across the different arms of government to sustain and build on this progress. The company appreciates the emphasis placed on strengthening digital governance and remains ready to provide technical clarifications and support collaborative engagements that further advance Nigeria’s digital public service ecosystem.