Telecom
Airtel Nigeria Strengthens Media Ties with Interactive Roundtable Event
As an integral part of Airtel Nigeria’s commitment towards enhancing relationships with its operational stakeholders, Airtel recently hosted a Media Roundtable which was an interactive event to provide media stakeholders an opportunity to interact with key leaders at Airtel Nigeria and discuss the latest developments within the business.
The event, which was held on Thursday, 16th November 2023 at Radisson Hotel Ikeja, had more than 40 senior editors in attendance and included insightful presentations by three Airtel directors who discussed various recent developments across the business, including Airtel Nigeria enterprise offerings, collaborations with public sector Chief Information Officers (CIOs), 5G rollout, and Airtel Nigeria subsidiary, Smartcash Payment Service Bank.
Femi Adeniran, the Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, while delivering his welcome remark, expressed gratitude to the media guest and said that the roundtable is a platform for Airtel to bring the media partners up to speed on the activities of Airtel Nigeria, considering their role as vital stakeholders and consistent supporters of Airtel as a business.
“We have had several events that have brought us together in the past months, but we thought it is important to have a closer community discussion. The essence of this event is to have a good time together while we give you an understanding is currently going on in Airtel.”
Speaking at the event, Ogo Ofomata, Director, Airtel Business, revealed activities that Airtel Business has been up to in terms of providing data and cloud management solutions to both SMEs and government agencies.
“Airtel realized that the buying behavior of the private sector is different from the public sector, so this year, we created a special public sector event to showcase how their various parastatals can be upgraded to become more reliable.
“It was important to showcase to the public sector how their bulky data could be well managed. We had about 46 government agencies represented, to show that we were listening to the needs of the government on the digitization agenda,” she said.
Judith Osiobe, head of B2B Sales, Smartcash PSB, also discussed the recently launched Smartcash international remittance service, revealing that this service is to ensure financial inclusion on a global scale.
“We recently launched the Smartcash Remittance Service that offers competitive tariffs compared to traditional means. Customers can simply activate this service by opening an account with an existing mobile number by simply dialing *939# or downloading the app to activate an account.
“Smartcash is here to stay, and we are changing lives and making financial services accessible for everyone. We are also proud to say that we have the best and cheapest rate in the market when it comes to sorting utility bills on our payment service app.”
In his presentation, Airtel Nigeria Director of Marketing, Ismail Adeshina, expounded on Airtel 5G rollout and the telecom giant’s commitment to innovative service delivery advancement through collaborations.
“Airtel is investing heavily in 5G infrastructure, including towers, base stations, and spectrum licenses, to provide widespread 5G coverage across Nigeria. We are actively collaborating with technology partners, device manufacturers, and local businesses to explore and develop innovative 5G use cases, such as IoT applications and smart city solutions,” he said.
While responding to a concern of one of the Journalists who questioned if 4G will be affected following the 5G focus, he said “Every Airtel site is a 2G, 3G and 4G site. 5G deployment will not affect any of these, especially because the deployment is prioritized based on used cases and the need.”
The event lived up to its billing as a true interactive meeting, as the presentations were followed by a question-and-answer session between the directors and the media guests in attendance.
Airtel Nigeria expressed gratitude to the media for participating at the roundtable and declared that the company would look forward to collaborations that will further strengthen the bond between the company and the media.

Telecom
Aleph Paves the Way for MSME Success in Nigeria with Launch of Aleph Express
Aleph Group, Inc, an ecosystem of global digital experts and technology-driven solutions that enables the growth of digital marketing, has announced the launch of Aleph Express, its proprietary solution for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) in Nigeria.
In one simple and intuitive app, Aleph Express provides a platform for MSMEs to create and maintain a free e-commerce website, create a product catalog, set local delivery options, manage, record and process orders while gaining meaningful insights to drive growth.
Most innovatively, Aleph Express provides one unified inbox that integrates Whatsapp, Messenger, and Instagram, to enable businesses to efficiently engage and sell – all in one place.
In addition, Aleph Express provides local payment solutions and support, creating a holistic offer for Nigeria’s thriving MSME sector.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria is home to more than 41 million MSMEs and contributed 49% of the country’s GDP in the last five years. 42% of MSMEs in the country – equivalent to more than 17 million businesses – operate within the wholesale and retail trade industry.
However, 97% of Nigeria’s retail industry is made up of traditional – largely offline – channels. Aleph Express’ solution, which takes all the heavy lifting out of starting and managing an online shop, will offer an opportunity for retailers to evolve traditional retail channels and capture online growth.
The launch of Aleph Express forms a key part of Aleph’s strategy to provide localised and actionable technology for advertisers and MSMEs alike. From its teams on the ground, Aleph offers unrivalled, local support to enable its partners to overcome in-market challenges and create valuable opportunities. Aleph, through its legacy brand Ad Dynamo, has been supporting Nigerian advertisers since 2009.
Matthieu Laporte, Vice President of SMB at Aleph, commented: “Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the Nigerian economy. With Aleph Express, we enable them to create digital storefronts to attract more customers not only in their neighbourhood but across the country and the region.
“Our dedicated local teams support businesses and entrepreneurs new to this form of commerce and aim to onboard 10,000 monthly active merchants by the end of 2023.”
Approximately 90% of MSMEs in Nigeria use social platforms in one way or another to connect to customers, Aleph Express is a one-stop shop to accelerate businesses’ outreach to clients and potential new clients across the country.
Stephen Newton, Managing Director – Sub Saharan Africa at Aleph, added: “The launch of Aleph Express is a premiere – we are proud that Nigeria has been selected by Aleph as the first market to launch.
“This also marks a milestone in our offering, as Aleph Express is specially tailored for small and medium businesses, enabling these entrepreneurs to leverage the power of social platforms for their growth. With our local team standing by and supporting SMBs, I am confident that we are spearheading a revolution in this field.”
Telecom
Maida Pledges Support Meta on Undersea Cable Initiative
Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said the support of the Commission awaits law-abiding investors like Meta, (formerly Facebook), which responds positively to Nigeria’s desire for investments that promote the agenda of government to achieve a robust digital economy.
Maida, who spoke when he received a delegation of Meta, led by the company’s Vice President for Africa, the Middle-East and Turkey, Kojo Boakye, when they visited NCC’s headquarters in Abuja, said the regulatory support to all investors, including operators in Nigeria, will be predicated on their playing by the rules and regulations guiding the sector.
He said the Commission places a lot of premium on compliance to industry laws, regulations and guidelines as such will also engender a level-playing field for all licensees and other stakeholders in the industry for sustaining a healthy competition and guaranteeing a sustainable growth in the Nigerian telecoms sector.
Boakye informed NCC boss that the purpose of the visit was to congratulate the EVC on his appointment by the President and to intimate him of ongoing efforts to land 2Africa Cable in Nigeria.
At 45,000 kilometres long, Boakye said the 2Africa submarine cable will be one of the world’s largest subsea cable projects and will interconnect Europe (eastward via Egypt), Asia (via Saudi Arabia), and Africa.
He said the system will go live in 2023, delivering more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables currently serving Africa, with a design capacity of up to 180 terabytes per second (Tbps).
Boakye stated that 2Africa will deliver much-needed Internet capacity and reliability across large parts of Africa, supplement the fast-growing capacity demand in theMiddle East and underpin further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access for billions of people, especially in Nigeria.
He solicited NCC’s support in sailing through all necessary legal and regulatory hurdles in landing the submarine cable to complement existing backbone infrastructure in Nigeria.
He also said Meta, through a consortium, plans to land 2Africa cable simultaneously in Lagos and Akwa-Ibom States “in order to ensure those not yet connected are connected while those already connected are given opportunity for enhanced and affordable access.”
Telecom
MTN PR Manager Earns a PhD as Pan-Atlantic University Convocates 11 Doctoral Graduates
Lakinbofa Goodluck, MTN Nigeria’s PR Manager, was one of 11 doctoral graduates at the Pan-Atlantic University’s (PAU) convocation on December 2, 2023.
He was awarded a PhD certificate for his laudable research thesis on Nigeria’s film industry titled ‘Defining the Christian Film in the Nollywood Film Industry’. He sought to understand the meaning-making process between the filmmaker/creative collaborators and the audience through the lens of genre.
Amidst the vibrant event, where attendees adorned varied hoodies and regalia, the university celebrated a total of 206 graduands. These individuals were acknowledged for enduring academic rigour and demonstrating mastery of knowledge and the requisite character to contribute meaningfully to society.
During his address, the Pro-Chancellor of the university and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia SAN, commented on the potential interference of artificial intelligence on learning. He emphasized the importance of experiential learning to foster independent analysis and thought.
“It is only in continuing to challenge students to analyse, evaluate and create that we can maintain the core essence of tertiary education and produce graduates who are equipped to navigate the complexities of the future,” he stated.
PhD is the peak of formal education and only intensely disciplined, determined and curious people dare to attain it.
Reflecting on the significance of achieving a PhD, Lakinbofa shared, “This is not just a personal achievement; it’s a tribute to the relentless pursuit of knowledge and the boundless curiosity that drives me. Exploring the intricacies of Nigeria’s film industry in my thesis was a rewarding journey into the world of genre and audience engagement.
“As one of the 11 Doctoral graduates, I stand amidst a cohort of individuals charged to contribute significantly to society. I acknowledge both the burden and the fulfilment.”
Given the rapid progress of the Nigerian film industry and its substantial contribution to the nation’s economy, Lakinbofa’s study promises to provide stakeholders with invaluable insights.
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