Telecom
Durability and Reliability of Nokia Phones in the Past are Still the Core of Our Promise Today – Umunakwe
Joseph Umunakwe is the General Manager, HMD Global: West, East and Central Africa. He spoke to chike Onwuegbuchi about HMD Global’s commitment to building on its heritage and delivering trusted and secure Nokia smartphones that are built to last, in 2021 and beyond.
How did HMD Global deal with the effects of the pandemic, the quietness and the launch of its new products?
2020 did change the entire global business operating landscape and shifted mind-sets on ways of working. We are proud of the team at HMD Global – we came together and pulled through an extremely challenging year. Now, we are stronger than ever.
In 2020, we were the first brand to launch a truly universal 5G device capable of global roaming and optimized for the future. In a world that is now more dependent on virtual, seamless, always-on connection, the ability to connect from anywhere has become vital to so many Consumers.
Nokia smartphones led the Counterpoint Research 2020 trust rankings based on the four pillars of software, security updates, build quality, and devices recommended for enterprises for the second year running.
In August 2020, as an affirmation of their trust in us, our partners – this includes Google, Qualcomm and Nokia – invested 230 million in our business.
Despite the challenges of an extremely difficult year, we were able to strengthen our position and commitment to delivering trusted devices that are secure and built to last, across our range of Feature phones and Smartphones.
Improving Nokia brand market share and visibility in Nigeria
Nokia Mobile is well known in the Nigerian market. Our Finnish heritage of quality, durability and trust continues to resonate with our fans. We believe that mobile technology can enhance the lives of consumers everywhere and we continue to focus on bringing the best innovation that will usher in digital inclusiveness in Nigeria and other markets in our region.
We give consumers reason to choose us by focusing on eliminating their pain-points, offering premium experiences at affordable price-points and lowering the cost of ownership. Consumer experience is at the heart of our strategy. We innovate for the benefit of the consumer.
For example, we are expanding our affordable 4G smartphone range and working hard to ensure our fans get top specifications at the right price point because 4G is the new baseline, leaving users of 2G and 3G more vulnerable to uncertainty.
Uniqueness of Nokia mobile devices from other smartphone brands in Nigeria
Simply put, Nokia devices are trusted, secure and built to last. The durability and reliability that you remember from Nokia phones in the past is still the core of our promise today. Your Nokia phone stays with you for longer.
Each Nokia smartphone receives three years of monthly security updates and two years of software upgrades. In addition, we offer our standard one-year product warranty thereby giving peace of mind to our fans.
Our devices have a purposeful Nordic design characterized by functionality. With our signature two-day battery life, the latest Android operating software – we recently released Android 11 on our Nokia 8.3 5G, our customers can unleash their creative instincts and stay connected to what matters most to them.
In fact, in October 2020, Counterpoint Research revealed that Nokia phones led the trust rankings based on the four pillars of software, security updates, build quality, and devices recommended for enterprises for the second year in a row.
We deliver the fastest and most regular software and security updates among Android devices. We have released over 1000-plus software updates in the past four years to ensure phones are updated longer than the industry average.
Engagement with dealers some of whom also market other phone brands
We are a company built on a unique partnership model. Our dealers are our partners and partnership is very important to us. They are an extension of our promise to enhance the lives of our consumers.
As a result, we place a priority on building close relationships with each of them, working to understand their businesses. Our market representatives are almost constant fixtures at their stores, seeking to understand and clarify their needs.
It comes back to our values of trust and building on our heritage of reliability. Nokia is a brand people already trust. We intend to maintain that across the spectrum, whether with our partners or our fans.
Support to dealers with the required advertisement and promotions, considering the possible conflict of interest that would exist
We take the responsibility of supporting our partners seriously. Our various marketing and communication activities are aimed at creating awareness and driving foot traffic to our local partner stores.
We support our dealers through our communications activities, including them where necessary in our promotion content and signposting them. Our priority is to develop and build win-win relationships that will stand the test of time. As mentioned earlier, trust is an important value for us as a business.
As our fans trust us to deliver quality devices, we trust our partners to deliver our promise to the last mile consumer anywhere they may be. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic and the attendant lockdowns, we stayed close to our channel partners and continued to deliver much needed products to both people on the frontlines and our consumers.
What Nigerian consumers should expect from Nokia mobile this year
Our focus on enhancing the lives of our consumers remains core to our business. Therefore, we will continue to deliver on our strategic pillars in both 5G, and affordable 4G.
We want to make mobile technology accessible to Nigerians. Our fans in Nigeria can certainly expect to see affordable smartphones with premium features that provide them with innovative experiences.
We will continue to innovate across multiple platforms and business segments to deliver value to our fans both in Nigeria and elsewhere.
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.
Major social media giants Meta Platforms, TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube will face a landmark jury trial this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court over allegations that their addictive designs have fuelled a youth mental health crisis, marking the first such case to reach this stage.
Social Media
The pivotal personal injury lawsuit centres on a 19-year-old Californian woman identified as K.G.M., who claims her childhood immersion in Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok—engineered with endless scrolls, autoplay videos, notifications and algorithms—sparked severe anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Dozens of similar suits have surged since 2022 from families, schools and states, accusing the firms of burying internal research on teen harms while prioritising ad revenue through youth-targeted engagement hooks, despite Section 230 protections for user content.
Plaintiffs seek damages and design overhauls, arguing platforms bypassed parents and preyed on vulnerable kids; defendants counter there’s no clinical “social media addiction” diagnosis, no proven causation—kids with issues often use less—and they’ve added safeguards like parental controls and time limits.
Echoing Australia’s under-16 bans, the trial will scrutinise thousands of internal documents, expert testimonies and K.G.M.’s story, potentially expanding tech liability amid debates where studies show complex links, not direct causation, between screen time and disorders like eating issues or self-harm.
A win could mandate warning labels, age gates or algorithm tweaks, reshaping global platforms as U.S. Surgeon General advisories and global scrutiny intensify pressure on Big Tech to prioritise child safety over profits.
Meta is gearing up to trial paid subscription services on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, aiming to diversify revenue streams beyond advertising while maintaining free core access for all users.
Meta
The subscriptions will offer enhanced tools tailored for everyday users, creators, and businesses, including advanced content creation, sharing, and workflow features distinct from the existing Meta Verified verification program. Unlike a uniform rollout, Meta plans varied testing formats per app to match diverse audiences, experimenting with feature bundles based on user feedback to refine the model.
A key element involves integrating Manus, the autonomous agent firm Meta acquired for $2 billion in December, into these apps alongside its enterprise sales. Manus enables complex task automation with minimal input, with early signs like Instagram shortcuts already spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi.
Video tools feature prominently: Meta’s Vibes short-form video generator in the Meta AI app shifts to freemium, where paid tiers unlock higher monthly creation limits beyond the free baseline. On Instagram, subscriptions could enable unlimited audience lists, non-follower tracking, and anonymous Story views, though specifics for Facebook and WhatsApp remain under wraps.
Drawing from Meta Verified’s 2023 launch—which provides badges, support, and protection mainly for creators—these broader plans target wider appeal amid industry shifts. Ad growth slows against TikTok competition, while Snapchat+ boasts 16 million subscribers at $3.99 monthly, proving demand for value-driven paid perks despite subscription fatigue risks from streaming and storage fees.
Meta will phase tests gradually, prioritizing feedback to shape long-term viability without alienating free users.
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