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Celtel to Zain, Unification Rebranding

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The recent rebranding of Celtel Nigeria to Zain may be viewed by many as one too many having changed name about four times. The company began operation as operator of Global System of Mobile communication in 2002 as Econet thereafter changed its brand name to Vodacom when Vodacom bought into then Econet. This was short lived as Vodacom pulled out of the acquisition contractual agreement thereby living the company in the hands of Nigerian investors that are not financially strong to provide the required finance to compete with the likes of MTN and Glo. As an interim arrangement, the company hurriedly changed its name to Vmobile while sorting for core investor. Vee networks the company incorporated name entered into acquisition talk with Celtel Africa the African operation of then MTC the parent company of Celtel Africa. The outcome of the talk was acquisition of majority stake in Vee Networks resulting in the rebranding of Vmobile to Celtel.

Celtel International was not originally owned by MTC group, it acquired 85% of equity in the then leader is cellular operation in sub-Saharan Africa in 2005. Under the terms of the agreement, MTC acquired 85% of the issued equity with commitment to purchase the remaining 15% of the shares in two years, which happened last year making the whole deal worth $3.4 billion.

MTC’s acquisition of Celtel has helped it achieved a big part of its ambitious vision of becoming a global cellular operator, opened up many promising markets and secured leadership for MTC in sub-Sahara telecom market.

“MTC has built on Celtel’s expertise in sub-Sahara markets to continue its expansion plan in emerging Africa market,” said Dr. Sa’ad Al-Barrak, chief executive officer MTC group.

It is pertinent to note that, the underlining cause of these rebranding to Celtel was as a result of change of ownership, which distinguished the recent rebranding from Celtel to Zain. The recent rebranding is precipitated by the desire of the parent company then MTC of Kuwait to change its name to Zain in September 2007; this led to Middle East operations of the company changing its name to Zain while African operations still retained Celtel.

Owners of the telecommunication giant felt that there is need to unify its brand required for harmonious operation, and good quality of service that led to rebranding of all Zain operations in Africa to Zain which as well affected its Nigeria operation.

To some industry watches the rebranding of Celtel to Zain is a good opportunity for the company to change the battered image of GSM operators, if it will match it with actions by improving on its quality of service.

Presently, GSM operators are facing with quality of service issues where many are expecting that the new entrant Etisalat will do the magic by offering them better quality of service. The rebranding and trading with a new name will make most uninformed people to believe that it is a new GSM operator. For instance, this writer had an encounter with some people who were in a hot argument about the emergence of another GSM operator with the name Zain, they are five in number three are arguing that Zain is a new GSM operator that president Yar’adua brought from Arab country to change the face of GSM that is saddle with poor quality of service while the other two more informed, argued in the opposite that it is Celtel that has changed its name to Zain. It took this write a lot of explanation to convince these three gentle men that it is their own Celtel Nigeria that is now Zain Nigeria. This could give the company a good face in view of the public perception about GSM operators in the country.

To mark the launch of its new colourful identity across Africa, Zain also announced the creation of the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East. The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the United States of America. One Network allows Zain customers affordable cross-border communications, helping friends and families stay connected.

According to Al-Barrak, ‘this truly is a defining moment in the history of global telecommunications. The connecting of One Network across two continents demonstrates how under one brand, Zain is able to offer enhanced mobile telephony services. Going forward it will now be easier and more affordable for people to keep in touch and support cross-continent trade and enterprise. This is the essence of the Zain brand promise to create ‘A wonderful world’.

This allows all Zain customers (pre-paid and post-paid) in Africa and the Middle East using ‘One Network’ to enjoy the benefits of being treated as a ‘local’ customer wherever they are. Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available in one of the 15 One Network countries. The One Network service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographical border into one of the countries, with no prior registration required or sign-up fee.

Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile groups in the world by 2011.

 Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator and was known as MTC until September 2007. From modest beginnings in Kuwait, the company now has more than 16,000 employees serving over 50 million customers in 15 African and seven Middle Eastern countries including Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the company will launch its mobile telecommunications networks in the coming months.

Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa.

In Africa, Zain now operates in 15 sub-Saharan African countries namely: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. Others are Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The company’s mobile telecommunications operations in Ghana will begin this year.

In the Middle East, Zain operates in: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan and soon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Lebanon the company manages the network on behalf of the Lebanese government and operates as MTC-touch.

Zain is renowned for its pioneering role in bringing technical innovations and modern telecommunication services to the markets it serves. For instance, the launch of its ‘One Network’ service in September 2006 offering Zain customers’ affordable and effective cross-border communications was a world first. Zain also launched the world’s first nationwide 3G and WiMAX network in Bahrain. The company plans to role out modern technologies to its African and Middle East operations where the need and demand arises.

It promised to continue to pioneer ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless network, which has already broken new ground as it is now available for the first time across two continents – Africa and the Middle East.

Corporate Social Responsibility continues to be high on Zain’s agenda, given its historic role in supporting the communities it serves. Zain is committed to helping to open up an exciting world of new possibilities and opportunities, in culture, health and education, and acting responsibly in the communities where it operates. Zain has pioneered a range of education-based initiatives across Africa and is partnering with governments and communities to help them achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. For example, in the last one year, Zain has donated millions of dollars worth of books and educational supplies to government-owned schools in Africa. The company recently partnered international establishments in bringing telephony to 400,000 people in remote areas of Africa and has many community projects across both continents.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of US$ 25 billion on 30 June 2008. Financial results for H1 2008 are available on www.zain.com.

 

 

 


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LINX Picks Digital Realty as Access Point for New Ghana IXP

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The London Internet Exchange (LINX) announced today that it will extend its partnership with Digital Realty to West Africa, welcoming the data centre provider to its new interconnection fabric, LINX Accra.

Digital Realty is nearing completion of its new facility in Accra, ACR2. A modern data centre strategically positioned near multiple submarine landing cable stations in Accra’s downtown area.

Ghana is one of Africa’s most internationally connected countries, thanks to the presence of these six undersea cable systems. As a result, the country’s digital landscape has grown dramatically in recent years.

LINX Accra was announced in late 2024 and is anticipated to launch in the coming weeks.

LINX stated that a new internet exchange point (IXP) for Ghana will provide future-proof and scalable solutions to propel the digital ecosystem forward.

The new IXP will be LINX’s third facility in Africa since the opening of LINX Nairobi in 2023, marking an important milestone in the company’s overall strategy in Africa.

Nurani Nimpuno, head of global engagement for LINX commented: “We are excited to be embarking on this new journey with Digital Realty in Ghana. We have strong relations with our partners across our LINX hubs in the UK, US and Kenya so I’m confident this extension of the relationship will be a success.”

Digital Realty has been a key access point for LINX’s interconnection solutions in London and also in North Virginia, US for several years.

More recently, LINX launched their first steps into Africa with LINX Nairobi in November 2023 and LINX Mombasa in February of this year, both working closely with iColo: A Digital Realty Company.

Joseph Koranteng, managing director of Digital Realty in Ghana, commented: “We’re pleased to be welcoming LINX to our new data centre in Ghana, a key milestone as we continue to strengthen interconnection across Africa.

“As demand for low-latency connectivity grows, this collaboration will play a critical role in helping to shape the region’s digital future by enabling greater access, resilience, and integration with the global internet fabric.”

 


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Moniepoint Clinches Two IBSi Awards for Leadership in Corporate Banking and Digital Wallet Services

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Moniepoint Inc, Africa’s leading fintech platform, has been named a Category Winner in two prestigious categories — Corporate Banking and Digital Wallets — at the IBS Intelligence (IBSi) Digital Banking Awards 2025.

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The accolades recognize Moniepoint’s significant impact in advancing financial inclusion and operational efficiency through its innovative digital banking initiatives across the continent.

Moniepoint earned dual recognition with the Corporate Banking award for its end-to-end digital platform empowering SMEs across emerging markets through simplified working capital access and streamlined payment processes, while also being honored in the Digital Wallets category for its scalable wallet infrastructure that enables millions to seamlessly transact, save, and manage finances—both innovations supporting broader financial inclusion and economic empowerment goals.

The IBSi Awards jury highlighted Moniepoint’s achievement in delivering measurable business impact, its ability to scale efficiently, and its pioneering approach to integrating local market needs with cutting-edge financial technology.

The IBSi Digital Banking Awards recognize technology implementations and innovation across digital banking units worldwide. This year, more than 110 submissions from over 30 countries were evaluated.

The IBSi Digital Banking Awards celebrate the most innovative and impactful technology implementation projects in the global banking sector.

This year’s competition recognised outstanding achievements among digital-only banks, neo-challenger banks, and the technology partners driving digital transformation worldwide.

“We are thrilled to be recognised in two highly competitive categories,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO of Moniepoint. “These awards validate our mission to power the dreams of African businesses and individuals by building technology that works for everyday realities.

“Whether it’s helping SMEs grow or enabling simple, fast, and secure transactions for millions, we remain committed to delivering impactful solutions.”

“These recognitions from IBS Intelligence reflect the hard work of our teams and partners, and the deep trust our users place in Moniepoint,” Eniolorunda added.

“We look forward to continuing to innovate and scale inclusive digital financial services that shape the future of banking across Africa.”

Nikhil Gokhale, Director of Research and Digital Properties at IBS intelligence, said, “Over the years, we’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation in the digital banking space — from the rise of nimble neobanks to the digital reinvention of traditional institutions.

“The IBSi Digital Banking Awards honour this evolution by recognising technology-led excellence across the global banking landscape.

“Now in its fifth edition, the awards continue to recognise banks that are redefining the digital banking landscape through bold strategy, customer-centric thinking, driving innovation, inclusion and meaningful impact.”

This award complements and validates Moniepoint market leadership having been listed for three years in a row in the CB Insights annual Fintech 100, a list of the 100 most promising private fintech companies in the world and described as high-momentum companies shaping the future of financial services as well as being ranked by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies for two consecutive years.

Moniepoint Inc. powers over 10 million businesses and individuals with access to seamless payments, banking, credit, and business management tools since 2019. As Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, it powers most of the country’s Point of Sale (POS) transactions while operating profitably.

Processing over 1 billion transactions monthly, with total payments volume exceeding $22 billion, Moniepoint enables businesses to digitize their operations and thrive in Africa’s rapidly evolving economy.

UK-headquartered IBS Intelligence (IBSi) is the world’s only pure-play Financial Technology (traditional and new-age) research, advisory, and media firm, with a global coverage, and a 360° portfolio of intelligence offerings.

For over 30 years, IBSi’s expert teams have delivered independent, in-depth, actionable insights, with a laser focus on everything Financial Technology, to the global banking, consulting, technology, and institutional investor world.


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Spotify Launches Mood-Based Music Campaign in Nigeria

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Spotify is inviting Nigerian listeners to tune inward with the launch of Find Your Mood, a new campaign that celebrates the everyday emotions and life moments that define who we are, and the music that helps us move through them.

At the heart of Find Your Mood is a simple truth: music is more than sound. It is a feeling. Whether it’s the quiet calm of early mornings, the frustration of Lagos traffic, or the joy of a weekend link-up, Spotify delivers personalised, mood-based playlists that echo, elevate and enrich each unique emotional state. From the reflective tone of the Calm Mix to the energising Focus Mix or the celebratory Good Vibes Mix, Spotify helps listeners discover the perfect soundtrack for however they’re feeling.

“With Find Your Mood, we’re showing how Spotify goes beyond streaming to become an essential companion in the emotional lives of our listeners,” says Sithabile Kachisa, Head of Marketing for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“It’s about making every playlist feel like it was made just for you, because it was. This campaign reflects our belief that music has the power to meet people where they are and move them toward where they want to be.”

The campaign’s centerpiece is a Hero Film that captures the emotional journey of young Nigerian creatives, following their highs, lows, setbacks and breakthroughs. Throughout it all, Spotify’s mood-driven playlists act as both compass and companion, soundtracking their stories in a way that is personal, powerful and deeply human. Shot across familiar, everyday Nigerian spaces, the film highlights the role of music as not just background noise, but as an emotional anchor.

Ultimately, Find Your Mood is more than a campaign. It is a reflection of how Spotify enhances the way people live, feel, and connect with themselves, with their community, and with music that truly gets them. Because when music is a feeling, Spotify is where you find your mood.


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