Telecom
AfriTECH 3.0: Digital Encode Hints How Emerging Techs Drive Cyber Trends
Digital Encode, a leading consulting and integration firm has said that in its 20 years of existence, it has been able to certify so many organisations with different kinds of certifications, ranging from high school certifications to carrying out payment card industry (PCI) data security standards (DSS) for companies within and outside Nigeria.
Digital Encode, which prides itself as the number one information technology assurance company in Africa, specializes in the design, management and security of business-critical networks, telecommunications environments and other information technology infrastructures.
Speaking during a Fireside chat with Joan Aimengheuwa, a senior Content writer with TechEconomy, at the Africa Tech Alliance (AfriTECH 3.0) Forum held at The Providence Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Olaifa Opeyemi, a Cybersecurity Consultant at Digital Encode Limited said the company known for solving multifaceted, complex enterprise network security and audit problems, will keep on working tirelessly to remain ready for the ever-evolving digital skills.
Responding to a question on cybersecurity trends in Africa, Opeyemi said there has really been an increase in cyber trends owing to sustained advancement in the digital space, emerging technologies, and the increasing emergence of new smart devices.
“There was a time of web applications. Now, it’s time for mobile applications. The more technology you introduce, the more trends you introduce out there. And then the more there are some bad people; they are trying to see how they can exploit that technology you put out there. So, there has been an increase in cybersecurity trends, ranging from ransomware to malware to other forms of attacks, business logic attacks, and all those kinds of trends that they could use or exploit.
“Even in social engineering, there is phishing, which has become very rampant. Aside from trends, there has also been an increase in this old cryptocurrency attack, which they often refer to as the crypto champion. Even though cryptocurrency has been in existence for quite a while, it became much known a few years back. So, these bad guys out there are already going to devise something called the crypto champion.
“Crypto champion is a tool that they use to first try to get access to your device. Then once they have access to your device, they install this particular solution and have you actually mine your cryptocurrency. And then you get the money from your cryptocurrency without your knowledge,” Opeyemi said.
On the positive developments in cybersecurity, she said that there has been an increase in data protection efforts in Nigeria, since the enforcement into law of the data protection bill by President Bola Tinubu, adding that in 2020 and 2021, South Africa and Egypt incorporated the PRP Highway, which is the protection of personal information. “Over the years, different countries in Africa have really been trying to enforce this data protection,” she further added.
Opeyemi stressed that security is not just about the company, but also about the staff in an organisation as well, noting that “if you have the technology, and you have your people aligned, whether it comes to security, you also need process policies to govern them. Policies in terms of making a change in the environment, making sure you make the change request.
“Before you create a password, make sure you follow the password policy. Before you do this, make sure you do that. So really, there are a lot of tracks there; – Ransomware, malware, social engineering, and even distributed denial of service. When it gets like this, there’s enough traffic, and they put down a service in the organisation.”
“Cybersecurity is really just about being there, the confidentiality of information, the integrity of information, and the availability of that information. Confidentiality of information is just that you have to ensure that you’re protecting whatever information you have for unauthorized access, which is what we want to ensure with cybersecurity.
“On Integrity, you’re protecting that information from unauthorized deportation. You don’t want someone who’s not supposed to have access to that file to have access. And on availability, if you’re a sponsor, you’re trying to make sure that your services are available to you. You don’t want things to ever be disrupted or hit anywhere,” Opeyemi further stated.
On how companies can protect their data, the cybersecurity consultant warned that in a case like DDoS, companies should insist on an application or network because of the heavy traffic associated with this kind of cybercrime, advising that there would be the need for traffic imagery.
“First, you need to have what I call traffic imagery. There are so many solutions out there that you can actually use in your organization, and it will help you to filter this traffic. So as traffic is coming to the system, whether it’s a system or an application, it helps to filter that suspicious traffic. And all these devices are actually, to some extent, smart.
“They see the traffic from a certain source, and then when they see such traffic, they don’t get suspicious. But then when they are seeing traffic from a source that they are not very used to, they will most likely rate it as suspicious, which is why sometimes when you now do your review, you find out that it’s not reading anything,” she said.
Opeyemi implored the government to intensify efforts at creating awareness on the need for cybersecurity consciousness and not just limiting itself to regulatory oversight and standardization, noting that creating cybersecurity awareness from the primary school level would go a long way to building a cybercrime-free nation.
Airtel Nigeria has restated its commitment to transparency, customer safety, and regulatory collaboration following recent regulatory enforcement by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The NCC had served Airtel Nigeria a notice of sanction over some alleged SIM infractions in Kano State and consequently slammed a fine of N104 million on the telecommunications firm.
NCC had in a letter, addressed to Airtel Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, dated May 26, 2025, signed by Chizua Whyte, head, Legal and Regulatory Services, and Mohammed Dari, acting head, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, on behalf of Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, NCC, titled: ‘Notice of Sanction: Non-Compliance with SIM Registration Directive in Kano,’ where the infractions were spelt out.
According to NCC, Airtel infractions include unauthorised SIM registrations using 198 unapproved devices, resulting in 8,275 registrations outside the 281 verified Airtel shops; premature activation of 63 MSISDNs prior to proper SIM registration, contrary to the provisions of the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations 2022; failure to conduct effective eyeballing, leading to 407 fraudulent SIM registrations with multiple NINs, contrary to the provision of the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations 2022 and failure to provide satisfactory explanation for SIM registrations conducted between 12.00 a.m and 6.00 a.m.
On the matter, the letter revealed that there were some letter exchanges and subsequent meetings on the infractions between the telecom regulator and Airtel, starting from January 12, 2025, March 19, 2025, March 24, 2025, and March 27, 2025, respectively.
Apparently, after investigations and responses from Airtel, the NCC was not satisfied and this led to the fine of N104 million, which was to be paid within seven days from the date the letter was issued.
Specifically, NCC fined Airtel N5 million, N12 million, N81.4 million and N5 million for the infractions respectively.
Reacting, Airtel, expressed appreciation to the NCC for uncovering the infractions, describing the development as a critical opportunity to strengthen internal processes and further align with national security and regulatory expectations
“We thank the NCC for its vigilance and continued support in protecting the integrity of the telecoms ecosystem. Airtel takes these findings seriously and is already implementing corrective measures,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Only recently, Airtel Nigeria’s CEO recently announced that the company is doubling its investment in the country, focusing on network expansion, fiber-to-the-street rollout, 4G/5G deployment, customer care upgrades, and digital infrastructure security.
These investments reinforce Airtel’s long-term vision of building a resilient and forward-looking telecom network that meets the evolving needs of Nigerians.
“Our systems are constantly evolving to stay ahead of scammers and malicious actors,” the spokesperson added. “This is not just about compliance; it’s about our responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who rely on Airtel daily.”
Airtel Nigeria says it will continue to work closely with the NCC and other arms of government to ensure high standards of service and safety for all telecom users nationwide.
Kenya is celebrating its regulatory ecosystem being ranked as the most progressive in Africa. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has ranked the East African country first in its most recent ICT Regulatory Tracker.
ITU’s ICT Regulatory Tracker is an evidence-gathering tool for decision-makers and regulators. It demonstrates the effectiveness of regulatory systems in the age of technology.
The ITU evaluates the design of the national regulatory authority, the scope of the regulatory mandate, the obtaining regulatory environment, and the robustness of the competition framework in member countries.
Kenya received 93 points, up from 92 in 2023, and now leads the continent in best practices for ICT regulations.
Nigeria and South Africa finished second and third, with 92 and 88 points respectively. Malawi, Egypt, Rwanda, Morocco, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Senegal complete the top 10 list.
Globally, Kenya was ranked 20th out of 194 countries covered.Italy led the rankings, with 100 points.
The regulator, Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya, said the achievement underscored Kenya’s commitment to creating a robust, technology-neutral regulatory environment that supports innovation, affordability and access.
Steve Isaboke, permanent secretary for broadcasting and telecommunications, visited CA Centre in Nairobi following the announcement on Thursday.
“The ranking is a clear testament of the excellent work that CA has done in spearheading Kenya’s digital transformation and driving digital access for all,” he said.
“After 25 years, CA’s regulatory regime has attained maturity, and gained global recognition. This ranking shows that the CA staff and leadership are executing their work diligently.”
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC has announced a significant increase in female representation within its leadership, with women now making up 41.4% of its workforce, a notable rise from 38.7% in 2023.
This figure reportedly doubles the industry average, positioning MTN Nigeria as a frontrunner in gender diversity within Nigeria’s ICT sector.
The company’s recently released 2024 Annual Report highlights its sustained commitment to workplace inclusion and gender equality, aligning with its “Ambition 2025” strategy. Female representation within the executive management team has reached approximately 46.7%.
MTN Nigeria attributes this progress to dedicated initiatives aimed at empowering women professionally. These include the “Women in Tech” programme, which provides targeted upskilling in high-demand fields such as Cloud Computing, Software Engineering, AI/ML, Data Science, and Cyber Security.
The “MTN Y’ello Mums Internship Programme” also supports young mothers in their transition back into the corporate world after career breaks.
Odunayo Sanya, executive director of the MTN Foundation, was recognised as the CSI Personality of the Year at the Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecoms Awards (NTITA), further underscoring the company’s impactful social initiatives.
Additionally, Uto Ukpanah, the company secretary, received the inaugural Global Corporate Secretary of the Year Award from the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA).
Speaking at a recent conference, Odunayo Sanya, emphasised the importance of balancing profitability and sustainability equation, saying, “Businesses today need to be purpose-driven. While the soul of business is profitability, it is not profitability alone that should matter to stakeholders.”
Uto Ukpanah, added, “Showcasing our corporate values and ethos to the world opens the door for greater collaboration with other organisations, as we believe there’s a lot to learn when we all come together. Governance continues to evolve. The challenges today are not the same as they were 10 years ago. Greater accountability is expected, and companies can only continue to do better.”
The company’s broader efforts in diversity and inclusion have been acknowledged with multiple accolades, including the Corporate Responsibility Award. MTN Nigeria also received the “Employer of the Year” award at the 4th Edition of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) Employers’ Excellence Awards.
Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, in the report, reiterated the company’s commitment to building a purpose-driven organisation, emphasising that its success is intrinsically linked to its people and their dedication to a shared vision.
“Since we initiated our culture transformation journey in 2021, our culture transformation has significantly enhanced employee engagement and organisational cohesion. It’s directly strengthened our ability to deliver outstanding business performance and drive sustainable long-term value for all our stakeholders.”
Gambaryan, Binance Executive Leaves Company after 8-Month Detention in Nigeria
NITDA Makes Case for Inclusive Tech for Special Needs
Airtel Recommits to Fraud Prevention after NCC’s N104m Fine for SIM Registration Breaches
IHS Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment to raising Nigeria’s Next Tech Giants from the Ilorin Innovation Hub
Kenya Beats Nigeria As the Most Progressive ICT Regulation in Africa
Telecom2 days agoTelcos Threaten to Disconnect Banks over Misinformation on New USSD Charges
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Plans N900Bn in Service Upgrade
General News2 days agoJumia Marks 13 Years of E-Commerce Innovation and Impact in Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoTelecom Regulators in Africa Chart New Course for a Data-driven Future
Broadcasting2 days agoNetflix Hikes Subscription Fees Again in Nigeria over “Market Conditions”
News2 days agoAbbas Jega, Ex-AMCON ED, Testifies, Says Arik Never Cooperated With AMCON
Broadcasting2 days agoNBC, Nigcomsat Launch Satellite Plan to Transform Broadcasting
E-Financial2 days agoNDIC Calls for Inputs to IADI Core Principles for Effective Deposit Insurance