Telecom
COVID-19: NITDA Advises Nigerians on Data Backup As Impact Mitigation Strategy
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has advised Nigerians on Data Backup as the World Celebrates International Data Backup Day
Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) stated this in a statement released on Tuesday, in Abuja.
According to the statement, “with the mandate of developing and regulating Information Technology (IT) for sustainable national development, we join the global community in celebrating World Backup Day.
“March 31st has been set aside as World Backup Day internationally, to remind users of computing devices of the potential consequences of stolen, lost or failed device.
“It is also a day used for creating awareness on the importance of protecting computing assets by regularly backing-up data.
“Making a regular backup is one way to minimize the damage that can be caused by malware that encrypts your data.
“Having a clean data backup means you can restore most of your data from a non-infected backup whenever the need arises.
“NITDA therefore encourages organizations and the general public to make and safely store backup copies of all valuable data, whether from personal computers, servers, storage devices or personal electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets”.
The statement further said, “as we intensify our efforts of diversifying the Nigerian economy from resource-based to knowledge-based, it is imperative that we are mindful of the amount of data generated on a daily basis as well as its implication in the digital economy.
“A World Economic Forum study revealed that on a daily basis, 500 million tweets are sent, 294 billion emails are sent, 4 petabytes of data are created on Facebook, 65 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp, and about 3.5 billion searches are made on Google.
“Furthermore, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for people to work from home means that more data will be generated and may not necessarily be backed-up appropriately.
“Therefore, as we strive towards the realization of Digital Nigeria in these challenging times, the importance of creating a culture of regular data backup among Nigerians cannot be overemphasized.
“Data backup is keeping a clean copy of any important digital content aimed at guaranteeing service availability even when computer crashes, cell phones or tablets are lost, data becomes corrupted or a virus destroys data.Data backup is a mission-critical process that NITDA enjoins all to adopt, either as individuals or organizations.
“As we celebrate the World BackupDay, we call on all Nigerians to embrace the culture of regularly backing-up their data.
The following basic guides are recommended:
- ensure that you backup your data frequently and at regular intervals;
- consider using remote storage for your backups;
- ensure that the files containing your data backups are encrypted and protected; and
- use multiple methods and multiple media for your data backups.
In the wake of increasing geopolitical tension, Cassava Technologies has unveiled its National Sovereign Cloud offering for African governments.
The solution, the company claims, will help the continent’s governments ensure data is kept on infrastructure that remains under local legal and operational jurisdiction.
According to the official announcement, made yesterday, the solution provides “secure, locally-governed digital infrastructure that enables the deployment of AI-enabled public services”.
The overarching solution encompasses cloud, cyber security, AI computing infrastructure, as well as local language AI models and skills support for governments.
The announcement comes amid increasing uncertainty over the hosting of sensitive national data on cloud services operated by foreign hyperscalers, which are subject to legal frameworks, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act. The CLOUD Act opens the door to allow American authorities to access data stored on the servers of US hyperscalers, wherever those servers are physically located.
Cassava has claimed separately that currently, “approximately 33% to 45% of the world’s data is hosted in the USA”.
The company added: “A sovereign cloud reduces exposure to extraterritorial laws, improves cyber resilience, and ensures that model weights and training data for public AI remain under national custody.”
The Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 Economic Report states that “data sovereignty has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever”.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology and AI Officer, Cassava Technologies said: “Across Africa, governments are accelerating their digital transformation agendas and are increasingly focused on ensuring that data and digital infrastructure remain secure and sovereign.”
Announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, this week, the Sovereign Cloud offering launch accompanied the launch of Cassava’s Cloud Partner programme.
The partner programme targets mobile network operators and system integrators across Africa to resell and distribute AI, cloud, and other digital services using Cassava’s infrastructure and technology platforms.
El Beheiry added: “We are expanding Africa’s sovereign AI ecosystem to build solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges while creating new opportunities for growth and digital inclusion.”
The programme offers partners access to NVIDIA Cloud Partner solutions, Cassava’s AI Factory, its own native AI solutions and its AI Multi-Model Exchange, which supports both Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
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