Telecom
Engr. Daudu Charges NITDA on Capacity Building

Engr. Festus Y.A Daudu, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, has charged the management of National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) to ensure that it keeps building the capacity of Nigerians in information and Communication Technology Sector.
The Permanent Secretary made this charge on Thursday at the Ministry’s headquarter when the NITDA’s Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, led some members of his management to brief the Permanent Secretary about the activities of the Agency.
He said, “you need to make sure that the necessary capacity is developed within the ecosystem because you have a lot to do and if you do not develop your capacity; in this particular sector that is dynamic, you will lose touch with current realities”.
Engr. Daudu observed that with the abundant human resources the nation is blessed with, the country has all it takes to drive most of her processes with information technology.
He said “Nigerians excel anywhere they go; I see no reason why with the abundant human resources we have, we cannot use it effectively to develop this nation.
The Permanent Secretary commended NITDA for what he termed laudable achievements and enjoined the management of the Agency to ensure that it works harmoniously with other parastatals and IT stakeholders because the objective of achieving a digital Nigerians is the same.
“We have to work together; we have one objective, to make the lives of Nigerian better. We are a communication and Digital Economy family”.
While applauding the Agency for being up and doing, Engr. Daudu assured NITDA of his supports that would make the Agency carry out its mandate effectively especially in the area of clearing IT projects of other ministries, Department and Agencies.
Earlier in his presentation, the NITDA boss informed the Permanent Secretary of various NITDA’s initiatives and how they have been impacting positively on the Digital Economy Policy of the government.
The DG stated that the Agency’s efforts at localizing the government data has resulted into the repatriation of 98% of government that hitherto hosted off shore of the country back to Nigeria.
On Indigenous Content Promotion, Abdullahi said”the Agency has issued a total number 297 Compliance notice. This is to enforce the local content policy especially on ICT. “We have a surveillance team that looks at all ICT content”
Mallam Abdullahi further stated that the sales of hardware under the indigenous content development has witnessed unprecedented record of over 1.2million devices sold between 2015 to 2019. Adding that the investments in indigenous software development mandated by NITDA by Federal government institutions stand at over N1.3 billion.
The DG disclosed that most of the Agency’s interactions are targeted at developing the economy of the country, adding that the country recently focused on building the capacity of Nigerians to acquire skill necessary to drive a digital economy.
“In 2020, we went around all the six geopolitical zones to train people. We do a lot of in-person and virtual training.
“We have trained over 35,000 on different courses on ICT virtually and developed the capacity of 1500 Nigerians at our e-Government Training Centre,” he said.
While commenting on Nigeria Data Protection Regulations, the DG said, NITDA has created N2.2billion industry, and 2686 jobs were created through the implementation of the regulation, remitted N12.6million to the federal government purse from the filling of NDPR audit report among others.
Mallam Abdullahi added that NITDA roadmaps of 2016-2020 are aligned with the National Economy Policy and Strategy and the yet to be launched 20121-2024 would consulate the pillars of NDEPS.
He said the National IT Policy the Agency was created to implement has become obsolete and the new policy of Digital Economy has compelled the Agency to rebrand and reposition itself for better performance.
“All these things are not the end but means to the end because the end is how the Agency is impacting in people lives for digital Economy development”.
Telecom
ATCON Commends FG for $2Bn “Project Bridge”, Pledges Support

Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Monday commended the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) for spearheading a new initiative known as ‘Project Bridge’.
Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON, stated in an interview with NAN in Lagos that the initiative aimed to create a robust and resilient telecommunications backbone across Nigeria.
Emoekpere stated that the project was an ambitious public-private partnership designed to connect all 36 states and Abuja, as well as LGAs, via fiber optic cables.
According to him, the initiative is not meant to replace existing infrastructure but to complement it, creating a more resilient network.
“Right now, most of the networks that we have are linear in nature. ’Just imagine, if there’s only one road from Lagos to Ibadan; if anything happens to that road, you would not get to Ibadan.
‘’This project will create alternative routes,” he said.
The ATCON boss stated that the project was modeled after the successful PPP framework in the energy sector, with the government contributing a certain percentage to the Special Purpose Vehicle and the private sector providing the remaining funding.
He stated that the project’s goal was to establish alternative, redundant connections, thereby ensuring that services remained uninterrupted even if one part of the network was compromised.
The president expressed the full support of telcos, noting that the project would enable members to deliver services more effectively in locations where infrastructure was currently a significant challenge.
“With this project, we will have multiple options,” he said.
Project BRIDGE involves building a nationwide fiber optic network to expand digital infrastructure and connectivity, rather than a physical bridge, as part of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan.
The project is a public-private partnership ($2 billion cost) using an SPV to deploy 90,000km of fiber-optic cable to enhance education, healthcare, and the digital economy.
Telecom
MTN Restores Services After Planned Network Maintenance in Parts of Adamawa, Borno, and Kano

MTN Nigeria has successfully completed a scheduled network maintenance operation that affected 101 sites across 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa, Borno, and Kano States.
The restoration marks a significant step in the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability in the Northeast region, amidst multiple fibre cuts and vandalism.
The maintenance, which took place on Sunday, August 24, involved the cutover of traffic to a newly installed fiber span along the AFCOT–Bawo Village route in Adamawa State.
This upgrade was necessary to replace a previously damaged section of the network infrastructure. All service maintenance was done within timeframe and restorations before 1 PM on Sunday August 24th.
We can confirm that all impacted sites have been fully restored, and services are now operating normally. We appreciate our subscribers’ patience and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused during the downtime.
The affected services included 2G, 3G, 4G, and enterprise connectivity, with temporary disruptions experienced in LGAs such as Girei, Song, Mubi North, Hong, and Michika in Adamawa; Askira/Uba and Shani in Borno; and Nasarawa in Kano.
The work was scheduled during daylight hours to ensure the safety of field engineers, given the linear and unprotected nature of the route.
This restoration is part of MTN’s broader strategy to strengthen its infrastructure in underserved regions and ensure consistent service delivery across Nigeria, amidst constant fibre cuts and vandalism.
Telecom
TikTok Unveils Artist Insights Platform in Nigeria

TikTok has launched its music insights platform, TikTok for Artists, in Nigeria to support artist growth and fan engagement across the country’s vibrant music industry.
The platform, which debuted globally earlier this year, provides artists, labels, and management teams with access to daily-updated dashboards and analytics tools to track music performance, audience demographics, and fan interactions.
Toyin Mustapha, Head of Music Partnerships for the UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, said the initiative was part of the company’s commitment to empowering African creators.
“With the launch of TikTok for Artists in Nigeria, we’re giving artists and their teams access to insights that can help them engage their fans in more meaningful ways and grow their careers globally,” Mustapha said.
The platform offers detailed song performance metrics, including views, posts, and creator engagements per track. It also provides granular post-level data such as likes, comments, shares, and completion rates, alongside demographic breakdowns by gender, age, and language.
In addition to analytics, TikTok for Artists includes educational resources and step-by-step guides to help artists build sustainable careers.
A key feature of the platform is the Pre-Release tool, which allows artists to launch campaigns for upcoming albums and enables fans to pre-save tracks on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
British artist Jordan Adetunji described the platform as a “game changer,” noting its value in helping artists and their teams plan effective campaigns.
TikTok said the rollout reaffirms its investment in Africa’s creative economy and aims to foster deeper connections between artists and fans across the continent.
The platform is now available to all certified TikTok Artist Accounts, with access also extendable to managers and label teams.
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