Telecom
Danbatta, Others Extol Benefits of Data in Development of Digital Economy

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Office (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that real value can only be driven from data when it is gathered completely and accurately, connected to other relevant data, and done in a timely manner.

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He stated this while delivering a keynote address at the 2021 edition of the Nigeria ICT Impact CEO Forum held on Friday, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
The event themed: “Data the New Oil of the Digital Economy” had ICT policymakers and policy enablers in attendance.
The EVC noted that data when properly refined could quickly become a decision-making tool – information – that allows companies to react to market forces and be proactive and intentional in their decision-making.
He further expressed delight in the significant contributions of telecommunications sector in the development of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, “It is gratifying that in the last few years, the telecommunications sector has consistently driven the digital economy agenda of the government, as it provided the necessary impetus for the support of the Nigerian economy in the digital space.
“It is pertinent to add that the information and communication sector recorded a growth of 6.31% in Q1 2021, which was largely driven by the growth in the telecommunications sub-sector (+7.69%).
“This growth trend has rekindled the hope that economic diversification can be realised in Nigeria.
“Also one of the most dynamic developments related to the digital economy has been the rise of social network platforms which have set the stage for unprecedented social 2 interactions, dialogue, exchange and collaboration.
“These platforms have opened up multiple avenues for entrepreneurship, business connectivity and engineered several activities that support ease of doing business in Nigeria”.
Danbatta further stated that the Commission is currently working on a regulatory instrument to manage data collection and utilisation in the Nigerian communications sector.
The process, according to him, is going through the Commission’s collaborative rule making approach and will provide all stakeholders with ample opportunities to participate.
Engr Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO – Medallion Communications Limited and President of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), speaking on the Topic titled: “Building Blocks to a Data Based Digital Economy” said that digital economy is the network of economic activities, commercial transactions and professional interactions that are enabled by information and communications technologies.
He noted that the benefits of digital economy span across, Job creation, Rise in E-commerce, Expansion in business opportunities, Transparency, Improvement in public services, Digital delivery of goods and services and others.
He equally said that Nigeria is still far from generating the volume of data that will make data the new oil for Nigeria, noting that there is still need for more local content data generation in Nigeria for its Data to move from people and business based to machine based if we are to generate adequate data to make data Nigeria’s new oil.
According to him, “Nigeria is missing in key cloud services platform location.
“Hyperscale datacenters must be located within Nigeria to make the key cloud service platform to be located within the country.
“Edge datacenters are needed for effective storage and distribution of content across the country to ensure efficient service delivery.”
Earlier, Tayo Adewusi, editor-in-Chief of ICT Watch magazine, the organizers of the event, said that Data in the 21st Century is like Oil in the 18th Century: an immensely, untapped valuable asset.
He noted that Data is the key to smooth and efficient running of everyday life, including in both public and private sectors.
“Like oil, for those who see Data’s fundamental value and learn to extract and use it there will be huge rewards.
“We are in a digital economy where data is more valuable than ever. It’s the key to the smooth functionality of everything from the government to local companies. Without it, progress would halt”.
Oluwarotimi Arakunrin Akeredolu, SAN, Governor of Ondo State, speaking at the event via virtual platform, emphasized the importance of Data to all stakeholders in Nigeria’s economy, noting that it’s the lifeblood of any digital economy.
He said, “The importance of data cannot be overemphasised in the economy of nations because data is the lifeblood of digital economy.
“We are in digital economy where data is more valuable than ever.
“Hence, it is not surprising that data has of late been referred to as ‘the new oil’. Data is an essential resource that powers the present digital economy”.
Mr Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) speaking on the topic: Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and the Future of Data Governace, said the world has gradually evolved into a digital platform in which everything we do appears to be linked to technology in some way.
He noted that the digitalization phenomenon has now elevated digital platforms to become drivers of the economy rather than enablers.
The DG added that digital economy is highly dependent on the availability of data and the requisite skills to process such data to extract maximum economic and social value.
Abiodun Omoniyi, CEO, VDT Communications Limited, who spoke on the theme: ‘Why Data will be the New Oil in the Digital Economy’, said that data is now world’s most valuable resource.
He stated that it will not be right to say that data will be the new oil, but that it is already the new oil.
On the contributions of Telecom industry in the Nigerian economy, Omoniyi said, “Telecom is already the new oil especially in Nigeria with the highly dwindling oil fortunes.
“The fact that telecoms globally and in Nigeria are largely driven by the private sector gives it tremendous room for growth.
“However, governments around the world and including Nigeria need to create growth-oriented policies and provide enabling environments for the full potentials of data to be harnessed.
“Data has enormous potentials to displace oil in leading the global economic growth now and the foreseeable future”.
Telecom
MTN Mulls AI Tech to Protect Infrastructure as Cable Cuts Hit 13,000 in 18 Months

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.
Telecom
NASENI and BPP Forge Nigeria First Alliance to Champion Local Goods and Services

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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