Telecom
GSM Subscriber Base Hit 148.6m

Total number of GSM subscribers which had peaked at almost 150 million in November last year, dropped to 148.6 million by end of the year.
However, on a year-on-year basis the industry subscriber base rose by about 8.9 per cent from 136.6 million in December 2014 to 148.6 million in December 2015, while MTN still dominated market share.
A report from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), indicated that the decline in the fourth quarter of the year which represented a reversal of third quarter growth was due to declines in MTN subscriber base from 62.4 million to 61.2 million and Etisalat from 23.4 million to 22.1 million. Globacom and Airtel witnessed increases in their number of subscribers.
The total number of subscribers has increased rapidly over the previous decade, but in recent years of the second decade in the life of the industry in Nigeria a lower growth rate have been recorded, possibly as market penetration is already high, which leaves less room for large expansion.
The report also indicated that 2015 was a more active year for porting activities than 2014, as total incoming porting increased by 42.88 per cent to 212,401 from 148,652.
This was driven to a large extent by Etisalat, who gained 137,466 incoming porters in 2015 compared to 69,364 in 2014, an increase of 98.18 per cent.
On the other hand outgoing porting activity increased by 50.38 per cent to 219,559 from 145,998 between 2014 and 2015.
This increase was driven mainly by MTN which lost 125,515 porters in 2015 compared to 67,039 in 2014, an increase of 87.23 per cent.
Airtel also lost substantially more porters in 2015 at a total 41,527 compared to compared to 25,883 in 2014, an increase of 60.44 per cent.
Porting activities refer to the transfer of subscribers to different network carriers, where incoming porting activities refer to those subscribers that have joined a network, whilst outgoing porting activities refer to those who left a network carrier.
The report also indicated that GSM internet subscriptions followed similar trend as telephony, except that a real drop below previous quarter was recorded. Internet subscription as at end of fourth quarter was 97.03 million as against 97.06 million in the third quarter.
The figures had gone up to 97.5 million in November before dropping to 97.03 million in December 2015, again, due to a decline in subscriptions in MTN though all other providers witnessed a rise in internet subscriptions.
The telecommunications sector contributed N 1.65 trillion or 8.88 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in the final quarter of 2015, a slight increase relative to the 8.76 per cent contribution recorded in the same quarter of the previous year.
The fourth quarter 2015 sector contribution to GDP is also higher than the contribution of 7.71 per cent recorded in the third quarter, but this is to a large extent due to different seasonal patterns of the telecommunications sector and whole economy.
Telecom
MTN’s ₦31.75Bn Investment in Health Lauded at Arthur Mbanefo Lecture

MTN Foundation has been spotlighted as a model for private sector-driven healthcare development in Nigeria, following commendations at the 6th Arthur Mbanefo Lecture held at the University of Lagos, Akoka.
Themed “A Healthy Nation is a Wealthy Nation: The Role of Impact Investments and Sustainable Financing in Nigeria,” the lecture featured Dr. Tolulope Adewole, Managing Director of NSIA Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe), as keynote speaker.
Dr. Adewole praised the Foundation’s strategic investments, noting that MTN commits 1% of its profit after tax annually to development sectors. “They’ve invested ₦31.75 billion, reaching over 32 million Nigerians. Though only 25% went to health, it accounted for 51% of all lives impacted. That’s catalytic,” he said.
He cited MTN’s dialysis centre programme as a transformative intervention for patients with kidney disease, and highlighted community-focused initiatives like the Y’ello Doctor mobile scheme and ‘What Can We Do Together’ (WCWDT) programme, which revitalised 164 Primary Healthcare Centres, including 44 in 2024 alone.
Executive Director of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic’s exposure of systemic health vulnerabilities. “When COVID hit, we realised a health emergency is also an economic and social emergency,” she said.
Sanya revealed that of the 52 PHCs remodeled in 2024, only one had clean water. “I’m not a doctor, but I know you can’t live a good life without clean water,” she added, reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to bridging healthcare gaps in underserved communities.
Telecom
PIN to Empower 20 Million Youths with New Digital Rights Board Game

Hundreds of university students across Africa are set to benefit from a new gamified learning experience on digital rights and inclusion launched by the leading pan-African non-profit organisation, Paradigm Initiative (PIN).
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) is a game developed by Paradigm Initiative with support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The custom-designed board game provides young individuals with a fun and engaging entry point into digital rights and inclusion conversations, training sessions and storytelling tools.
The board game aims to build digital literacy, deepen understanding of online safety, and introduce young individuals to the organisation’s tools of impact. Currently being piloted in three universities: University of Lagos, Nigeria, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi, Kenya and the Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST) in Dakar, Senegal, it will enhance interactions and create a holistic experience.
Speaking at the event launch at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director, said: “PIN’s vision is to reach 20 million people through our Digital Inclusion and Digital Rights interventions. From Lagos, to Dakar, to Nairobi.. we will use the vehicle of our new Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) which entails using gamification, training, multimedia materials, tools and other interventions to connect African youth with digital opportunities and protect their digital rights.”
‘Gbenga gave the keynote address on “Digital inclusion at PIN, our Past, Present and Future” and Nnenna Paul-Ugochukwu, the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer, said the goal of the learning experience would be instrumental in raising awareness of digital rights among the youth, building their capacity to address digital rights and inclusion issues in their communities. Prof. Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj shared a goodwill message with the students and other stakeholders.
Paradigm Initiative, which has been operational since 2007, started in a tiny cybercafe in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. Today, the organisation has expanded its wings to cover six African countries; Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe, impacting the livelihoods of over 150,000 young Africans.
The launch of DRIBLE builds on the progress the organisation has made over the years in tackling the challenge of digital exclusion across Africa.
Paradigm Initiative’s tools of impact include Ripoti, a platform that enables individuals to report digital rights violations, Ayeta, a platform that provides digital security resources for stakeholders, more so human rights activists, defenders, journalists and other vulnerable groups, and the organisation’s latest short film, Whispers in the Wires.
Targeted at students, PIN rolled out a Campus Tour in the three universities on the continent starting July 15th, 2025.
Telecom
Meta Cracks Down on Fake Accounts, Deletes 10m Profiles

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has intensified its crackdown on fake accounts and spam, announcing it removed over 10 million fake profiles and roughly 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025.
The sweeping purge is part of Meta’s broader effort to combat impersonation, fake engagement, and content duplication, aiming to elevate authentic creators and improve the quality of content across its platforms.
In a blog post, Meta said: “We’re making progress. In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.”
Meta stressed that accounts which primarily repost or recycle content without meaningful edits will face penalties such as reduced reach and the loss of monetisation tools.
The company also warned that repeatedly sharing unoriginal content — whether videos, photos, or text — undermines the platform’s integrity by crowding out genuine voices and making it harder for new creators to grow.
To support authentic creators, Meta is rolling out new tools that automatically trace reposted content back to its original source. The company says this will help ensure rightful credit and give higher visibility to original posts.
“Pages and profiles that post mostly original content tend to enjoy wider distribution across Facebook. Simply stitching clips together or adding a watermark will no longer count as meaningful editing. Content that provides real value and tells an authentic story is likely to perform better,” Meta explained.
Creators are also being cautioned against uploading content that includes watermarks from other platforms. Such posts could see their reach restricted or lose monetisation privileges altogether.
As part of its latest update, Meta introduced post-level insights on the Professional Dashboard, allowing creators to monitor how individual posts perform. They can also check their Support Home screen to see if their content or earnings are facing restrictions.
In a parallel development, Google’s YouTube updated its monetisation guidelines, stating that content deemed mass-produced or excessively repetitive will no longer qualify for ad revenue. The announcement initially sparked concern among creators, who feared it was a blanket ban on AI-generated content. YouTube later clarified:
“We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible to monetise.”
Both tech giants say these new policies are aimed at raising content standards and safeguarding genuine creators in a crowded and rapidly evolving digital landscape.
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