General News
How to Build More Connected & Inclusive Cities
By Carlos Menendez,
Carlos Menendez is president, Enterprise Partnerships, for Mastercard. In this role, Mr. Menendez is responsible for expanding the company’s operations globally with partnerships in the Smart Cities, Retail, Travel and Banking space. In this piece, he looks at ways to build more connected and inclusive cities.
When thinking about the cities of the future, I know that they will be more connected, and I strongly believe that they must be more inclusive.
We can’t have the Internet of Everything without the Inclusion of Everyone. Already today, a growing number of cities are using smart technologies to better connect people to places and to each other – and more importantly also connecting people to opportunities for better and safer lives.
Unfortunately, what still causes a significant amount of friction in our cities and prevents inclusive growth is the dominance of cash. In fact, close to 85 percent of all consumer payments in the world are still done with cash or checks.
This means that far too many people are trapped by default in an informal economy. They lack the financial services to guard themselves against risk, save for themselves, plan for their children’s futures, and build better lives.
Two years ago, Mastercard set a global goal to bring 500 million people into the financial mainstream by 2020. And we’re well on our way to doing that.
In just a few short years, we have helped connect more than 300 million people through partnerships with banks, governments, retailers, and NGOs.
We’re also working with our partners to enable and grow 40 million small merchants and micro-entrepreneurs because it’s not just individuals that are too often trapped in a cash economy – stores lose billions of dollars every year to leakage and theft.
Success Factors For Future Interconnected and Inclusive Cities
It’s no secret that the world is becoming more urban. The UN estimates that within the next generation, the number of people living in cities will jump from 50 percent today to almost 70 percent.
Already today, cities are grappling with the challenges that come with their growth. Congestion, pollution, and poverty are features of many of the world’s major cities, and it will take a collaborative effort by the public and private sector to meet these challenges.
We have seen progress, and there are some common themes around how we can leverage technologies and partnerships to move toward more connected, more inclusive cities.
Transforming Public Transportation
The key approach is to tackle those sectors in our cities that have high levels of everyday cash usage, and one of these areas is mass transit.
About 65 percent of all urban transportation is still paid in cash, which adds up in significant operational costs to transport providers and puts drivers and passengers at risk of getting robbed.
In over 100 cities around the globe (including London, Singapore, Bogota and New York), Mastercard users are paying their train or bus fare simply by tapping their card or swiping their phone.
Only a couple of weeks ago, Sydney became the first city in Australia to introduce contactless payments for public transport – no more queuing in front of tickets booths, topping up cards, or fumbling for cash.
In London, already 40 percent of daily pay-as-you-go journeys on the city’s underground, buses, and commuter rails are paid by contactless cards/phones – which has dropped Transport for London’s cost of selling tickets from 14 to 9 percent of the fare and has saved them over 100 million pounds in cash related costs.
Once payments are digitized, data insights help city governments better understand and connect with their citizens. In Chicago for example, UI LABS, is bringing technology and transportation providers together to find ways to better balance transit supply and demand across a city.
When people use their cards for public transport, this can help form a habit of paying electronically in shops and stores as well which can be a critical factor for enabling broader financial inclusion.
For instance, those living in a cash economy face significant risks when it comes to putting away money for savings. This lack of savings then makes it challenging for people to access lower priced weekly or monthly tickets, instead of more expensive daily tickets.
This is why a few weeks ago, the Government of Mexico City announced its plans to launch a debit card that can be used for both transit payments as well as every day purchases, and potentially social disbursements.
Empowering Small and Micro Businesses
Another critical angle to building more inclusive cities is to focus on the role of small businesses and how to connect them to electronic commerce.
In most parts of the world, small businesses account for well over 90 percent of all enterprises. However, small and micro entrepreneurs have historically been underserved when it comes to their ability to accept electronic payments. For a small market vendor, bigger tickets and additional sales from someone using their card instead of cash are important steps on the economic ladder, which are typically followed by better access to credit.
There are various ways to address this. One is by turning a seller’s mobile phone into a payment terminal. Masterpass QR, which is already available in eight countries in Africa and Asia, is a new electronic payment option that lets customers pay for goods and services from their mobile phones by scanning a QR code displayed at a store’s checkout.
In Kenya, Mastercard is partnering with Unilever to simplify the way smaller stores order and pay for their goods with a wholesaler.
Today, this is a very cash intensive process. Digitizing this process will give small entrepreneurs better access to funds, facilitate inventory ordering and management, and provide better sales insights about their business.
Partnering with Governments
Like businesses and individuals, governments make and receive payments. And many governments around the world choose electronic methods for things like procurement, social benefit payments, or tax collection. Electronic payments are not only more efficient and more transparent, they’re also a great way to lead by example.
At Mastercard, we have partnered with over 60 governments globally to deliver more than 1,600 scalable cashless programs in various cities and communities around the world.
In the Middle East and Africa, we have joined forces with public institutions on solutions that link a government identity with payments and enable people to become financially included on a massive scale. In Egypt, the government plans to extend financial inclusion to over 54 million citizens through a digital National ID program.
But what’s most important for many people, is that this may be the first time they see their name printed on a financial instrument. This gives them a financial identity, and it may give them the first chance to move out of the cash economy into the formal economy.
Technology as the Great Enabler
Simplifying access to public transport, empowering small and micro businesses, promoting cashless programs – what these three areas have in common is that technology works as a great enabler. While the know-how exists to solve many of the world’s most pressing problems, no one can meet these challenges on their own.
It takes partnerships across businesses, governments, NGOs and academia to advance more connected and more inclusive cities – and to build healthier, safer and more prosperous communities.
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Galaxy Space, Chinese LEO satellite player, to deploy direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services nationwide by the end of this year.
According to media reports, Galaxy Space will integrate its LEO satellite constellation into Nigeria’s telecom grid, which will allow existing smartphones and laptops to link directly to the satellites.
The MoU also covers technology‑transfer programmes, joint R&D labs and the co‑production of a CubeSat by Nigerian engineers.
Apart from the benefit of enabling mobile coverage outside of terrestrial network range, Dr Matthew Adepoju, director- general, NASRDA, said the deal with GalaxySpace would enable Nigeria to build up its domestic space technology sector.
“It is no longer acceptable that we must import every single device we need,” he told the News Agency of Nigera. “The time has come for us to produce our own technologies here at home.”
GalaxySpace, which designs and manufactures its own LEO satellites, currently has a test constellation of seven LEO satellites in orbit, and has said its “Mini-Spider” constellation will eventually comprise up to 1,000 satellites.
GalaxySpace said it has also signed multi-tier partnerships in Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Last year, it also signed a deal with Hong Kong carrier PCCW Global to integrate its LEOsat connectivity with PCCW’s worldwide network, giving it access to over 3,000 cities across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
General News
IHS Nigeria, United Nations Global Compact Host High-Level Dialogue on Sustainability and Greener Business Practices in Nigeria
IHS Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, hosted a high-level private sector dialogue themed “Collaborative Strategies for Greener Business Practices, Innovation and Sustainable Development”.
The event, held in Lagos, brought together key players from different sectors including finance, law, telecommunications, biodiversity, and corporate sustainability to explore actionable pathways to achieve meaningful environmental stewardship in Nigeria.
The panel session offered bold perspectives on integrating sustainability into business frameworks across different sectors, whilst dispelling myths, and highlighting opportunities for organizations, and calling for collective action from all players within the business value chain.
Delivering a keynote address, Titilope Oguntuga, Director, Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, emphasized the urgency of environmental consciousness: “Sustainability is not a destination — it’s a collective journey.
“It requires courage to transform, vision to lead, and collaboration to scale. Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We can either be overwhelmed by the risks or rise to become a beacon of green innovation and inclusive growth in Africa. The choice is ours — and the time is now.”
Sylvie Josel, Lead, Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions at the United Nations Global Compact, joined virtually from New York and spotlighted nature as a strategic asset:
“Nature must no longer be treated as an afterthought. It underpins everything, from human rights to supply chains. Embedding biodiversity into a company’s core strategy isn’t just a risk mitigation measure; it’s a smart, future-forward business imperative”.
Lanre Babalola, Group Head, Climate Finance and Sustainability at the Bank of Industry (BOI), provided insights into how BOI is funding sustainable ventures and driving innovation: “We look beyond profitability; we look at environmental and social impact. Whether it’s plastic roads, biogas, or solar transitions, we support businesses that are not only bankable but capable of reshaping the future.”
From the legal perspective, Oyeronke Oyetunde, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN Group, drew attention to the regulatory challenges hindering sustainability adoption: “Our legal frameworks are trailing behind today’s sustainability realities. We need forward-thinking laws, reduced regulatory silos, and incentives that reward the right behavior. Sustainability can’t thrive where enforcement is weak, and taxation is excessive.”
Abimbola Agbejule, Head, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility at Wema bank, spoke passionately about inclusiveness in sustainable development: “You don’t need to start big to make impact. MSMEs make up a huge part of our economy. Sustainability should be embedded in their day-to-day activities, and we must democratize access to knowledge, tools, and partnerships.”
The session was moderated by Gloria Okorie, Head of Programs at the United Nations Global Impact Center.
The event closed with a resounding call to action for stronger legal frameworks, deeper collaborations, and inclusive capacity building across sectors. The event further reinforces IHS Nigeria’s position as a leader in corporate sustainability and innovation in Nigeria.
“At IHS Nigeria, we recognize that true progress happens when sustainability is not an obligation, but a culture, lived every day, across every unit,” Titilope Oguntuga added.
Through initiatives like this dialogue, IHS Nigeria and its partners continue to champion solutions that protect the planet, empower people, and ensure long-term business viability.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading digital rights and inclusion nonprofit, has revealed in its 2024 Annual Impact Report that over 707 young individuals across 11 African countries have been empowered through its flagship LIFE Legacy Programme.
The initiative delivers training in life skills, ICT, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship—transforming underserved communities across the continent.
In 2024, the LIFE Legacy Programme ran 25 training cohorts across Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Sudan, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Senegal, 60 laptops were distributed to local partners, while digital literacy programmes were launched in schools in Cameroon and Tanzania through the LIFE@School initiative.
PIN advanced its advocacy by supporting 29 legal cases in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. A notable success was the landmark judgment in Molehin v. UBA, where the bank was found guilty of violating data privacy laws.
PIN’s research and media efforts made powerful waves. The Londa digital rights report, covering 26 countries, was downloaded 8,457 times. Its fourth short film, Undersight, recorded nearly one million views on YouTube. PIN also developed an AI strategy report with TrustLaw and collaborated with the Centre for Democratic Technology to assess content moderation policies for Kiswahili across Kenya and Tanzania. A separate report highlighted the troubling deployment of surveillance technologies across Africa, which was referenced in direct advocacy engagements with a telecom operator.
The organisation’s advocacy also contributed to the adoption of the African Commission’s Resolution 580, which urges governments to avoid Internet shutdowns during elections—strengthening digital freedom across the continent.
Meanwhile, the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) convened in Accra attracted 1,004 delegates from 61 countries, strengthening regional collaboration and amplifying the voice of civil society. PIN’s strategic communications pushed its media reach to 1.43 billion and social media engagement to 8.8 million.
Alongside training and policy efforts, the organisation inspired young changemakers through youth-focused campaigns and hosted seven fellows under the Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) fellowship.
Crowning a year of impact, PIN earned the maiden PrivCon Privacy Award in Nigeria and was recognised in the Social Innovation Category at the Nigeria Innovation Awards for its work connecting African youth to digital opportunity.
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