Telecom
Akande Tasks Telecom Operators on Licensing Obligations
Prof. Adeolu Akande, Chairman, Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has urged telecoms licensees across different segments of the Nigerian telecommunications sector on the need to adhere strictly to their licensing obligations in order to ensure robust provision of services to the consumers.
Prof. Adeolu Akande, Chairman NCC Board, contributing to the forum
Akande made the call in his remark at the third edition of NCC’s 2021 “Talk to The Regulator” (TTTR) Forum, which took place at Visa Karena Hotels, Port Harcourt, over the weekend.
At the forum held with a focus on “Improving Stakeholder Satisfaction”, Akande stated that the essence of conducting the stakeholder engagement forum across the country’s geo-political zones was to demonstrate to the Commission’s licensees that responsibility does not end in issuing of licenses alone but rather in working with the licensing authority to address issues affecting their operations.
Beyond the issuance of licences to operators, Akande declared that the Commission is legitimately concerned with providing the necessary regulatory frameworks and initiatives capable of ushering in an environment that encourages seamless implementation of the licence conditions.
“In return, we expect the licensees to deliver on their licensing conditions and I want to use this opportunity to challenge our licensees to always comply with their licensing obligations and conditions in order to provide the much-needed services to the generality of Nigerians,” he said.
Speaking earlier on the centrality of the stakeholder engagement to the regulatory activities of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO), said the Commission considers feedback from stakeholder’s engagement initiatives imperative for building a robust licensing regime in the Nigerian telecom sector.
The EVC, who was represented at the forum by Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to stakeholder engagement as a means of deepening collaboration with NCC’s licensees, identifying areas of concern, and jointly developing and implementing practical solutions.
The NCC boss noted that the focus of deliberations for the series of stakeholder engagement had been on licensing processes, policies, and procedures, all geared towards improving Stakeholder Satisfaction, a central factor to all NCC’s regulatory activities.
He emphasised the need to curate insights from each geo-political zone to encourage mutually-beneficial relationships and enhance understanding between the Commission and its key stakeholders.
According to Danbatta, measurable success has been recorded essentially because of Commission’s focus on prioritising stakeholders.
“Achievements such as contributions to Gross Domestic product (GDP) grew to 14.42 per cent in Q2’2021; active internet subscriptions have reached over 140 million; teledensity which now stands at 99.98 per cent; and 40.01% per cent broadband penetration, all as at the end of September, 2021,” he said.
Speaking further, Danbatta said to achieve national policy targets and maintain progressive growth in the telecoms industry, “efforts must be jointly made to harness the full cooperation of licensees to highlight areas hampering the progress of the Commission’s stakeholders.
“We have started making necessary adjustments to reflect the views of our licensees in Kano and Lagos. Port Harcourt will not be an exception,” Danbatta assured.
He reiterated that the meeting is organised in keeping with the Commission’s strategic objectives, which seek to guarantee continuous interface with the critical stakeholder in the industry, for collaboration in seeking solutions to challenges of licensing in Nigeria.
Further underscoring the significance of stakeholder engagement and sensitisation in the Commission, Danbatta said the forum affords stakeholders a platform to raise questions about the challenges of licensing and their operations.
He said such forum also avails the Commission ample opportunity to adequately respond to the concerns that may be raised.
At the Focus Group Discussions (FGD), participants reviewed and discussed licensing trends, regulatory process, implementation of Annual Operating Levy (AOL) regulations, assigning of short codes, type-approval obligations, and Commission’s expectations.
Commission’s propositions for the survival of smaller licensees were also discussed in a session termed “Listen to the licensee,” as they were not only given ample time to air their grievances but also made to proffer solutions for Management’s consideration.
Also, mutually-beneficial positions on multiple taxations, surrendered licences, Right-of-way (RoW) for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) boosters, amongst others, were part of the issues discussed.
The Port Harcourt edition of the TTTR was sequel to previous editions of the stakeholder engagement forum which took place in Kano on October 16, 2021 and Lagos on November 25, 2021.
The event had in attendance members of NCC Board: Prof. Millionaire Abowei; Clement Baiye; Chief Uche Onwude; as well as Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil; and his counterpart in Licensing and Authorisation, Muhammed Babajika, whose department facilitated the organisation of the forum.
Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce and cloud computing powerhouse, announced plans Wednesday to eliminate 16,000 jobs globally, escalating a restructuring drive first flagged in October with 14,000 earlier cuts.
Amazon
The layoffs, hitting corporate ranks across multiple divisions, aim to slash management layers, boost accountability, and dismantle bureaucracy, Senior Vice President Beth Galetti stated in an internal memo. Despite booming holiday sales and $21 billion quarterly profits on $180 billion revenue, Amazon seeks to redirect resources toward massive artificial intelligence investments amid slower post-pandemic growth and rising costs.
Galetti explained that while some teams finalised October adjustments, others required extended reviews, pushing total reductions toward 30,000—the firm’s largest ever. CEO Andy Jassy, pursuing leaner operations since 2021, has long signalled AI’s role in shrinking white-collar headcount, with corporate staff—about 350,000 of 1.5 million total—bearing the brunt, sparing warehouses.
The move mirrors Big Tech’s broader belt-tightening as firms recalibrate pandemic-era hiring binges against economic headwinds, AI disruption, and policy uncertainties under President Donald Trump. Amazon’s October cuts struck 2,000 in Washington state—including engineers, recruiters, analysts—and 1,500 in California, with fresh impacts undisclosed by location.
Jassy emphasised culture over pure finances in prior notes, blaming rapid expansion for excess layers after workforce doubling during COVID lockdowns fueled online shopping surges. Recent U.S. hiring slowdowns—to 50,000 jobs in December—underscore corporate caution amid AI’s job-shifting potential and tariff worries.
Analysts note the cuts free capital for AI dominance, pitting Amazon against rivals in generative tools despite no immediate financial distress. Ex-workers have decried impersonal processes, often learning via media leaks, highlighting tensions in Earth’s “best employer” shedding talent en masse.
As tech pivots to AI frontiers, Amazon’s aggressive pruning signals a new era: fewer bodies, sharper focus, betting machine smarts eclipse human scale in the post-boom landscape.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force smashed a sophisticated cybercrime ring Wednesday, arresting six suspects accused of hacking a major telecommunications company and looting airtime and mobile data worth a staggering N7.7 billion.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed in a statement that the suspects breached the telecom giant’s core billing and payment systems by compromising internal staff login credentials, enabling them to siphon off vast quantities of airtime and data for illicit resale.
Named in the arrests are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad – a mix of northern and southern names hinting at a cross-regional fraud network that preyed on Nigeria’s digital backbone.
Police swooped on the gang’s hideouts in coordinated raids across Kano and Katsina states in October 2025, with a final takedown in the Federal Capital Territory, recovering two mini-plazas masquerading as legitimate retail outlets stocked with over 400 laptops, about 1,000 mobile phones, and a Toyota vehicle.
Investigators also froze substantial sums in the suspects’ bank accounts, tracing the dirty money trail back to the diverted resources that left the unnamed telecom firm reeling from unauthorised activities reported in a desperate petition.
The breach, described by police as a “calculated assault on critical infrastructure,” allowed the hackers to manipulate the company’s systems undetected for months, offloading billions in airtime and data bundles through underground channels and raking in illicit profits.
Hundeyin vowed that the net was widening, with forensic experts combing through digital footprints and financial ledgers to expose any remaining accomplices or beneficiaries in what he called “one of the largest telecom heists in recent Nigerian history.”
Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the crack team from the National Cybercrime Centre for their “relentless professionalism,” urging telecom firms to bolster cybersecurity amid a surge in digital predation.
As the suspects cool their heels awaiting arraignment under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, the case underscores Nigeria’s growing battle against tech-savvy fraudsters targeting the N1.7 trillion telecom sector that powers millions of daily transactions.
Industry watchers warn that such breaches erode investor confidence and hike operational costs, ultimately passed onto consumers already grappling with soaring data tariffs in Africa’s most populous nation
As Africa and MENA’s startup ecosystems transition from post-correction resilience into a new phase of disciplined growth, the Africa Startup & VC Landscape Preview (ASVLP 2026) will convene leading founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders on January 29, 2026, for its second annual, agenda-setting virtual forum.
Following a challenging global venture cycle, 2025 marked a notable rebound across the African ecosystem, with startups raising an estimated $3.2–$3.3 billion over the full year.
The recovery was accompanied by significant structural shifts: Kenya emerged as the leading destination among Africa’s “Big Four” markets for the first time, while Nigeria recorded a year-on-year funding decline, reflecting changing investor preferences, macroeconomic pressures, and a broader recalibration toward capital efficiency and sustainability.
Sectorally, fintech remained the most funded vertical, while climate & energy, AI-enabled solutions, healthtech, and infrastructure-adjacent businesses gained increasing attention. Across Africa and MENA, development finance institutions (DFIs) and family offices played a more pronounced role in anchoring funds, deploying catalytic capital, and supporting blended-finance structures, reshaping how early-stage and growth capital is mobilized.
ASVLP 2026 is designed to translate these data points into forward-looking strategy.
The forum will bring together venture capitalists, angel investors, LPs, DFIs, family offices, founders, corporate leaders, and regulators from Africa, MENA, Europe, and North America to assess 2025 outcomes and chart priorities for 2026.
The program will feature keynotes, fireside chats, panels, and deep-dive roundtables, including discussions on:
· The 2026 Africa & MENA FinTech Landscape, focusing on security, profitability, regulation, and growth frontiers
· Emerging Fund Managers, capital formation, and LP alignment
· Talent, operator depth, and institutional capacity as constraints to scale
· Regulatory evolution and cross-border market integration
A major highlight of ASVLP 2026 will be the Final DealRoom Pitch Session, where a curated group of high-potential startups will present to an experienced panel of investors.
• Founders can apply to pitch via: bit.ly/ASVLP-DR-Founders
• Investors seeking DealRoom access can request entry via: bit.ly/ASVLP-DR-Investors
Confirmed speakers for ASVLP 2026 include Khaled Ismail (HIMangel), Idris Ayodeji Bello (LoftyInc Capital), Zachariah George (Launch Africa), Tosin Faniro-Dada (Breega), Selma Ribica (FirstCircle Capital), Maha Mandour (COREangels MEA), Joe Kinvi (Borderless), Remi Prunier (Orange Ventures MEA), Karima El Hakim (Plug and Play Tech Center), Souheil Guessoum (President, The Confederation of Citizen Employers – Algeria (CAPC)), Remi Prunier (Partner, Orange Ventures, MEA), Maha Mandour (COREAngels MEA), Ali Hussein (President, Kenyan FinTech Association), Patrick Okebu (CIO, Interswitch Group) among other leading voices shaping capital, policy, and innovation across the region.
“The conversation has shifted,” said Uche Aniche, Convener of ASVLP. “It’s no longer about whether capital will return to Africa and MENA, but what kind of capital, deployed with what discipline, and in service of which long-term outcomes. ASVLP exists to help the ecosystem make sense of that transition.”
Participation in ASVLP 2026 is free but strictly by invitation.
Interested participants are encouraged to repost the official announcement on LinkedIn and comment #ASVLP2026 to receive a private registration link. They could also email [email protected] and request invite.
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