Telecom
Airtel’s Way of Supporting Under-Priviledged Children
Airtel, telecommunications giant since its advent in Nigeria, June 2010, has left no one in doubt about its vision “to be the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians”
Unwavering in its commitment to connect with the Nigerian people, not only does it provide innovative products at affordable rates, but also offered good deeds through Social interventions.
The Telecoms service provider promised novel and world class services, and one more thing: to contribute significantly to the alleviation of the challenges faced by the privileged.
So, when in February 2011, it announced its Adopt-A-School initiative with the adoption of Oremeji Primary School 2 in, Ajegunle, Lagos State, the message became even clearer.
Since then, Airtel has gone on to Adopt three more government-owned public primary schools; St. John’s Primary School Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State; Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo State and Presbyterian Primary School, EdibaAbi, Cross River States.
Today, Airtel has gone beyond merely adopting primary schools, provision of infrastructure, uniforms, learning materials for the pupils and training of their teachers.
It has gone one step ahead to contribute holistically to the wellbeing of the pupils of their adopted schools, hence, the introduction of the free Health checks in these schools.
Recently, Airtel organized free eye screening exercise in three of its adopted schools; St. John’s Primary School Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State; Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo State, and Presbyterian Primary School, EdibaAbi, Cross River State.
Speaking about the eye screening exercise which was flagged off on Monday, March 17th in Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo State, Segun Ogunsanya, chief executive officer and managing director of Airtel Nigeria, said the exercise is essential considering the important of a healthy vision, noting that “one of the priorities of VISION 2020 program is controlling blindness in children which means that we have to invest in eye care.
“This is something Airtel is proud to be involved in across our adopted schools, particularly because the children involved are from less privileged homes.”
The exercise in the Adopted schools, which was borne out of the company’s desire to help in building a stronger, healthier generation of achievers as reiterated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and VISION 2020 the global right to sight, was an interesting affair.
From the children who couldn’t wait to be screened, extremely intrigued by the impressive array of equipment the Doctors displayed and how they worked, to the ones who feigned poor sight the moment they realized the doctors were giving out free glasses to the ones that required them. The excitement was infectious!
In Community Primary School Amumara, Mrs. Stella Onyeonuziri, parent of Michael Onyeonuziri, a Primary Six pupil that was screened enthused that “what Airtel is doing is very good and I am very proud that my child is a pupil of the ‘Airtel school”. I ask God to continue to Bless Airtel because of how they care for our children.”
After undergoing her screening, Alhaja Mistura Balogun, education secretary Ijebu North, Ogun State commended Airtel Nigeria for touching the lives of the pupils and Teachers in the Local Government, saying other Telcos should emulate them.
The eye screening programme was implemented by a team of Ophthalmologists from Ultimate Eye Clinic, a renowned eye care provider to major Health Management Organizations in Nigeria.
The Clinic provided glasses and eye treatment to pupils and teachers on a need-to-have basis without any financial implications for the beneficiaries.
The exercise which was concluded on Wednesday 2nd of April, after a two-day screening at St. John’s Primary School, Ogun State had a total of 1,165 pupils, 83 Teachers and 98 community people screened.
144 free eye glasses were given to pupils, Teachers, community and some members of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the respective states.
Nigeria currently has over four million people suffering from eye problems 80% of which are from avoidable causes.
Of this figure which was obtained from the Federal Ministry of Health in 2011, one million are blind while three million are visually impaired. 50% of avoidable blindness was attributed to cataract, followed by glaucoma 16%, corneal opacity 12%, trachoma 4%, optic Atrophy 3% and refractive error being the major cause of visual impairment. It is feared that about 50% of children who become blind before age five may not leave to see their sixth birthday.
It will be recalled that in March 2012,Airtel in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and doctors from The Roding Medical Center, Victoria Island, Lagos to conduct a Health Awareness Campaign in Oremeji Primary School, Ajegunle, Lagos.The Health Awareness Campaign involved a general health check on the teachers and students of the school, including eye screening, cardiovascular, height and weight checks according to the National Centre for Health Statistics and a deworming exercise for the pupils as prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Over 400 pupils, teachers and parents of OremejiPrimary School, Ajegunle, benefitted from the exercise.
“For us at Airtel Nigeria, we perceive ourselves as more than just a connection. So, we seek ways to touch the lives of our customers, and even those who are not, because that is how we procure and maintain our social license to operate.
“Life is more than making or receiving calls, and even so, people must feel good about our organization to be able to give us their custom. Hence our involvement in giving back to the people in the communities we operate,” said Emeka Oparah, vice president, Corporate Communications & CSR.
MTN Nigeria has said that there are plans to deploy an artificial intelligence (AI) technology to monitor and protect its fibre optic cables across the country.
Yahaya Ibrahim, chief technical officer (CTO), MTN, said the technology will detect vibrations, identify the cause, and alert relevant personnels.
According to Ibrahim who spoke during a session for the ongoing MTN Media Innovation Progamme, the proposed innovation comes amid concerns over the growing spate of telecoms infrastructure vandalism, which have led to multiple cable cuts, and the destruction of towers.
This, he said, would enable the company to promptly deploy agents to the site.
The system is being developed in collaboration with Huawei Technologies.
Providing data on fibre cut incidents in an email correspondence, the CTO said MTN recorded over 9,000 cable cuts in 2024.
He said 4,700 cables were destroyed as at the end of June 2025 alone, bringing the total to about 13,700 incidents in 18 months.
A breakdown of the incidents by zone showed that about 2,500 cuts occurred in northern Nigeria, 2,800 in south-west, while 3,500 were recorded in the south-east and south-south regions combined.
“If we look at the cuts per region, the Southeastern and South South states have more cuts and this is where we have the most hotspots for Fibre and site vandalism,” Ibrahim said.
“Akwa Ibom, Abia and Rivers stand out in states. While in specific locations Omoku and Egbema stand out for fibre vandalization.”
The MTN official said vandalism and road construction account for 69 percent of total cable cuts across the country.
Ibrahim said the incidents often disrupt services, with an average downtime of 15 hours recorded per month.
“Some regions are higher than others,” he said.
“All services will be down, that means no one will be able to use any services.
“We spent N17.6b in 2024 and budget for 2025 based on PO issued for maintenance and relocation is N26.3b.”
In addition to the expenditure, MTN is said to also conduct route patrol, route monitoring, and construction bypass — which involves the creation an alternative route that allows for the temporary or permanent relocation of essential resources around a construction site.
Ibrahim said the telco also invests in having a diverse route for resilience, relocation of fibre, holding stakeholder engagement, and working with communities for policing.
The technical officer confirmed that there are collaborations in place with state and federal authorities to secure fibre routes.
National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on Monday, 28th July 2025, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of “Nigeria First” Policy on Procurement, projects and other related matters.
The Nigeria First Policy is an initiative of the Federal Government, aimed at promoting Nigerian-made goods, services and utilization of Local content, infrastructures and other value chain.
As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda initiative of the Government, the policy seeks to encourage local production and consumption of Nigerian goods or services, also to support Nigerian business and entrepreneurs, foster economic growth and development, reduce dependency on imported goods and to promote Nigerian culture and identity. Also, by prioritizing local content, the policy aimed to create jobs, stimulate economic activity, and increase Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony which took place at the Headquarters of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) office in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said, with the signing of MoU and implementation of the Nigeria First Policy, 80% of challenges faced while trying to convince investors and foreign partners would have been solved, as Nigeria will cease to be dumping ground for foreign goods, while focusing on promotion of Nigerian products, goods and services.
Halilu said that with support now coming from BPP, the over 50 market ready NASENI products will be off the shelves and gain patronage of Nigerians, adding that NASENI has gained for the country over 2 billion dollars from its recent partnership activities with China alone.
“One thing that is clear when I took over the leadership of NASENI was the determination to move the Agency from just producing prototypes to commercialization of its technologies and products, this was complemented by the turn around which we did in rebranding the Agency.
“We have 50 market-ready Nigeria branded products. NASENI is building the biggest renewable energy park in Nasarawa and has entered into partnership with Abuja Technology Village to boost Technology Transfer and innovation, enhance local manufacturing capacity, transform NASENI’s research-focused installation into full production facilities, promote national brands and local production”, he further explained.
Buttressing the partnership between NASENI and BPP, he said that it is expected that the policy would have transformative impacts on Nigeria’s economy and human capital development, aligning with national goals for industrialization, youth employment, and economic diversification. “This also shows that our efforts are not in vain:”
Earlier in his speech, the Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun said that the MoU between BPP and NASENI offers a structured bridge between production and procurement and how to take locally made solutions off the shelves and to place them at the center of public service delivery, which aimed at aligning Government policies with national priorities as well as giving practical force to the Nigeria First Policy.
According to him, “NASENI’s innovations, from tractors to tablets, from surveillance drones to solar backup systems, will now be actively prioritized in the procurement plans by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. We are institutionalizing a framework that makes local options not just preferable, but the default option before all others.
Specifically, he said further that with the signing of the MoU, the “BPP will now integrate NASENI’s Product catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal, NOCOPO, and therefore encouraging other MDAs to follow suit”
He noted that the “Nigeria First Policy is not an act of protectionism, but an act of patriotism grounded in performance, and it is targeted at fastracking Nigeria’s industrial revolution”. He remarked that “NASENI has invested in quality assurance. Its products are certified by national institutions such as SON and NAFDAC. This means NASENI’s offerings will now be visible, verifiable, and measurable across all MDAs. First, we are integrating NASENI’s catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal, NOCOPO. Between January and June this year alone, NOCOPO’s enhanced price intelligence has helped Nigeria save over 173 billion naira, 155 million dollars, and 1.7 million euros.”
While calling on all MDAs to follow NASEN’s footprint in promoting Made in Nigeria products, he said that the BPP’s revised threshold is now five billion naira for goods and ten billion for works, meaning that MDAs can act faster, while they continue to strengthen post-review and audit mechanisms.
He emphasized that the role of BPP is to ensure that these standards are rewarded with access, and that MDAs no longer look outside when the best is being made inside. “For the avoidance of doubt, let me say here that we will be backing this commitment with reform actions”.
Telecom
Treepz Launches in Canada, Secures University of Toronto-Supported Program as First Corporate Travel Client
Treepz, Africa’s fast-growing corporate mobility technology company, has expanded its operations into Canada, marking a significant milestone in its global strategy. The announcement was made at Brampton City Hall, Ontario, with full support from the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown.
The event, which featured key stakeholders and dignitaries, included the official announcement of Treepz’s partnership with the African Impact Initiative, a University of Toronto-sponsored program. Under the agreement, Treepz will provide comprehensive travel logistics—including flights, accommodation, experiences, and ground transportation—for program participants visiting four African countries: South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda.
Speaking at the launch, Mayor Brown described the expansion as “a proud moment for Brampton,” lauding Treepz’s founders for creating a brand that has served over six million customers since its inception in Nigeria in 2019. He added that Treepz’s ability to manage mobility in Lagos, one of Africa’s busiest cities, is a testament to the strength of its operational capacity.
Onyeka Akumah, Treepz Founder and CEO, expressed gratitude to city officials and program partners, noting that the move solidifies Treepz’s role as a globally recognized African brand.
“This launch is a strong statement of intent, not just for Treepz, but for all African startups. We are proud to be serving clients in both Africa and North America,” he said.
Treepz’s entry into Canada was supported by several Canadian organisations, including the World Trade Center’s TAP program, the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance, and the BHive Program.
It follows Treepz’s participation in the Techstars Toronto Accelerator in 2021, which played a pivotal role in its expansion roadmap.
The launch signals a new era for Treepz’s operations and marks a historic moment for African-led innovation in the global travel technology space.
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