Telecom
Eziukwu, Group CEO BlueTag to Keynote 2019 Mobile Money Conference
Mr. Uzo Eziukwu, group ceo, BlueTag Group, has been scheduled to present the keynote presentation as the Association of Licensed Mobile Payment Operators (ALMPO) is set to host the 2019 Mobile Money Conference in Lagos next week.
The theme for this year’s event is; Mobile Money: “Beyond Payments”.
The august event is scheduled to hold on the 27th of November 2019; at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos; by 9.00am Prompt.
Mobile money has continued to grow and serve as enabler to the realization of financial inclusion target in Nigeria.
According to data released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Nigeria recorded 50% increase in mobile money transactions and added over two million new users to the existing ones in 2018.
This showed a significant growth in the usage and adoption of mobile money platform in Nigeria.
However, as consumer preference for mobile money services continue to evolve, so the need to disrupt the traditional system and expand the value chain of cash in-cash out, bill payments to MicroCredit & MicroSavings, MicroPension, MicroInsurance and AgricTech, to improve users experience and grow more adoption in Nigeria.
Mr. Chinedu Onuoha, chairman, Association of Licensed Mobile Payment Operators (ALMPO),speaking on the objective of this year’s event said it was conceived, “to forge a collaborative approach towards harnessing new initiatives and opportunity areas that will accelerate mobile money adoption and deepen financial inclusion.
“The Conference remains a platform for mobile money operators, regulators, and other stakeholders to discuss current situations, challenges and advancements of mobile money in Nigeria.
“The event is expected to pull c-level participants across payment and non-payment ecosystems in Nigeria”, he said.
The Conference will feature discussions around; “Beyond Payments: Disrupting the Value Chain to Deepen Mobile Money Adoption – With Special Focus on: Micro credit & savings, Micro-insurance, Micro-pension, and Agrictech”.
Other topics are centered around:
“Beyond Payments: Enhancing Industry Synergy in the Fight against Mobile Money Fraud”; “Setting Mobile Money Agenda for 2020”; “Harnessing New Opportunity Areas for Mobile Money Adoption in Nigeria” and a Special Presentation on “the state of Mobile Money in Nigeria”.
Some of the invited speakers/guests for the event are:
Mr. Uzo Eziukwu, Group CEO, BlueTag Group (keynote Speaker); Aishah Ahmad, Chairperson of the 2019 Mobile Money Conference and Deputy Governor, Financial Systems Stability, Central Bank of Nigeria; Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO; Nigeria Communications Commission; Prof. Olayinka David-West, Academic Director, Lagos Business School.
Others are Hajia Aisha Dahir-Umar, Ag. Director General, PenCom; Sam okojere, Director, Payment Systems Management Department of CBN; Musa Jimoh, Deputy Director, Payment System Policy and Oversight, CBN; Modibbo R. Hamman Tukur, Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit.
Also, Ibrahim Magu, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; CP Ibrahim M. Kabiru, Commissioner of Police, Police Special Fraud and many other dignitaries are expected at the Conference.
For further inquiry see contact in the flyer below or email: [email protected].
The Conference is strictly by invitation, the organisers said.
Telecom
FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.
While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.
The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.
“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.
New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.
The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.
A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”
Telecom
Telegram Eyes 1Bn Users amidst Political Pressures
Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.
With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.
Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.
In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.
Telecom
NITDA, NIMC Announce Collaboration To Strengthen Digital Economy
To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.
During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.
To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks
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