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Ericsson Reaffirms Commitment To Africa’s Smart Cities Drive
During Mobile World Congress 2016, Ericsson hosted a discussion on the impact of smart cities for a connected Africa with a distinguished panel of leading players in the information and communications technology on the continent.
This took place at the second instalment of Ericsson’s Africa Night, a networking and conversation platform for key stakeholders in the sector to engage on matters related to the digitization of Africa.
Fredrik Jejdling, head of Ericsson’s region sub-Saharan Africa, said: “Industries and society are transforming as a result of ICT. The establishment of Smart Cities that are equipped to manage some of the most important needs in evolving cities, such as safety, transportation and utilities, requires active collaboration between various stakeholders. At Africa Night, Ericsson reaffirms its commitment by contributing to dialogue on how to make smart cities a reality in Africa, supported by solutions relevant for this continent.”
Facilitated by highly acclaimed Kenyan journalist and experienced host, Mr. Larry Madowo, the esteemed panel included Hon. Jean-Philbert Nsengimana, Rwandan Minister for ICT and Youth, Hon. Adebayo Shittu, Nigerian Minister of Telecommunications and Technology, Hon. Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize, South African Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Executive Director of the SMART Africa Program, Mr. Christian de Faria, Chief Executive Officer and MD for Airtel Africa, and Ms. Cynthia Gordon an Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Africa Division at Millicom International Cellular.
Besides providing great insights, the panel reflected on the opportunities currently being explored to build connected cities on the continent particularly in Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa.
Hon. Jean-Philbert Nsengimana extolled the role of partnerships in delivering smart cities in Africa. “Rwanda is leading in four areas in collaboration with Ericsson; payments, digitizing transportation, safety and utilities. There is no way a government alone can drive massive projects at the rate at which we are doing it without strong partnerships.”
Speaking on the progress of the Smart Rwanda project in his country, the Minister projected that 95% of all transactions between the government and citizens by the end of 2017 will be online, round the clock.
From the Nigerian perspective, Hon. Adebayo Shittu,shared the success of two initiatives that were having a positive impact on connecting Nigerians and bringing financial inclusion and accountability; the Treasury Single Account (TSA), as well as preloaded money cards that are now available for example to farmers.
Speaking on the benefits of an increasingly connected South Africa, Hon. Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize said: “Our e-government services has great impact in rural areas that were previously excluded, but now young people are in a position to access opportunities like any other person, irrespective of where they are located”.
Dr. Hamadoun Touré called for more investment in infrastructure on the continent.
“There is an investment need in infrastructure in Africa over next 10 years of over $300 billion, if the continent is to reach its full potential. The investment will not be charity, its business.
“Today, the continent has the highest return on investment. Governments are putting the right regulatory environments in place with regard to spectrum, licenses and national broadband plans and therefore with the public partnership model that we are advocating, there is money to be made”.
The United Nations estimates that by 2050 almost 70 percent of the world’s population will be city dwellers.
Though Africa remains mostly rural with only 40% in urban areas as at 2014, this is expected to change in coming decades as Africa, like Asia, is expected to urbanize faster than other regions in the world.
The growth of cities raises a range of social, economic and environmental challenges, putting pressure on infrastructure, natural systems and social structures. However, as the challenges of urbanization intersect with ICT-driven opportunities, solutions emerge with the potential to improve the lives of billions.
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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