E-Business
Hitch, Other Edtech Start-ups Selected for Mastercard Accelerator

The Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) has announced the first cohort of 12 edtech fellows that will benefit from its 12-month acceleration programme. Among them is Hitch Nigeria, an educational video platform that provides underserved African schools with curated, high-quality educational content.
According to the Mastercard Foundation, the centre was established in 2018 to spark innovation and promote promising practices in the use of ICT in teaching and learning, and thereby catalyse significant improvement in access, quality and relevance of education.
One of the centre’s objectives is to identify demand-driven edtech innovations that close the gap in education and learning outcomes for the most disadvantaged students, in line with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy.
Two of the 12 fellows are from SA: online learning platform Siyavula Education, and mobile teacher-training platform Instill Education.
The fellows were selected after an Africa-wide request for proposals in October last year. Innovators were invited to submit proposals that either enhance and increase accessibility and affordability of professional development for in-service teachers, which also minimise their out-of-classroom time; or create and deliver enriched learning content that improves quality, relevance and accessibility to both in-school and out-of-school secondary school learners.
“The announcement of these first fellows at the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning is a milestone moment in the work we are carrying out in Africa,” says Peter Materu, chief programme officer at the Mastercard Foundation.
“Bringing together these talented entrepreneurs and supporting them as they innovate to drive excellence in teaching and learning offers new opportunities with great potential to raise the bar in African education and benefit tens of millions of students.”
The companies will receive a package over the next year that includes customised mentorship, financial support, the opportunity to test, validate and scale their business, and a $40 000 grant to aid in the development of their solutions.
“We’re very proud and excited to have this first group of leading African innovators in edtech with us,” says Joseph Nsengimana, head of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT.
“These companies are working to expand the use of ICT to address some of the most pressing issues facing education in Africa today. We will give them access to the customised mentoring and financial support they need over the next year, so that they can test, refine and validate their products. With that, they can grow their businesses and help to improve learning outcomes throughout Africa.”
E-Business
NDPC Probes Suspected Data Breach in Examination Centres

Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into allegations that the confidentiality and integrity of candidates’ personal data may have been compromised by hackers.
The Commission initiated the inquiry following concerns over possible data breaches during examinations.
Preliminary findings indicate that several examination centres may not have implemented adequate technical and organizational measures to safeguard candidates’ personal information, as required under data protection regulations.
Although the incident reportedly affected 379, 997 candidates, the NDPC’s investigation is poised to cover a systemic audit of data processing and third parties.
It will be recalled that JAMB recently admitted that a technical error on its platform affected a total of 379,997 candidates in 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.
Further investigation led to the arrest of at least 20 suspects who are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force.
E-Business
Nigeria Among Hotspots as Kaspersky Warns of Rising Ransomware Threat in Africa

Cyber security firm, Kaspersky, has once again warned that sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target Africa as ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APTs) escalate across the region.
Speaking at the company’s annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, the cybersecurity firm’s Global Research and Analysis Team highlighted growing digital threats affecting African nations.
Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa emerged as hotspots, with Kenya recording one of the highest web threat incident rates at 20.1% in first quarter 2025.
“While ransomware is less prevalent in Africa due to lower levels of digitisation and economic constraints, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are seeing a sharp rise in attacks,” said Sergey Lozhkin, head of META and APAC regions at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky noted a 0.01 percentage point increase in African ransomware cases year-on-year, reaching 0.41%, still below global and Middle Eastern averages, but a troubling sign for the continent’s emerging digital infrastructure.
Experts warned that attackers are refining their tactics, shifting focus to unconventional entry points like IoT devices, smart appliances, and misconfigured hardware.
“As these economies expand digitally, sectors such as manufacturing, finance and government are becoming key targets,” said Lozhkin
The cyber-crime landscape is evolving quickly, fuelled by AI tools and dark web access to large language models, which enable less skilled actors to launch convincing phishing and malware campaigns.
Groups like FunkSec, which uses AI-generated code and a low-cost ransom model, are redefining ransomware operations.
“African organisations face the dual challenge of expanding digital footprints and limited cybersecurity awareness. This makes layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, real-time monitoring and regular staff training, essential,” stated Lozhkin
Kaspersky continues to monitor 25 active APT groups in the META region, including SideWinder and MuddyWater, some of which are known to target African institutions.
To bolster defenses, the firm recommends using tools such as its free Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business and the Kaspersky Next suite for threat visibility and response.
E-Business
Nigeria Launches Cybercrime Team with Commonwealth, UK Support

Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.
It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”
He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.
Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.
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