Telecom
IFC, Proparco Partner WIOCC Group to Expand Digital Infrastructure in Africa

A financing package announced from IFC and Proparco for digital infrastructure provider WIOCC Group will fund WIOCC’s expansion strategy in three African countries, enhancing the continent’s digital infrastructure and connectivity and supporting economic growth.
The financing includes loans of $10 million and ZAR 200 million from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and $20 million from Proparco, a development finance institution and subsidiary of the Agence Française de Développement Group. WIOCC expects to sign an additional $10 million loan for its expansion from another bank in the next few weeks.
With the funding, WIOCC Group will expand its core and edge data centres in the DRC, Nigeria, and South Africa to meet growing demand for colocation and other data centre services. It will also grow its fibre networks, helping bridge the digital divide, and fostering economic growth across Africa.
The financing is structured as a sustainability-linked debt, with pricing linked to WIOCC’s commitment to improve the energy efficiency of its data centres and obtain EDGE green building certification for them. EDGE, an innovation of IFC, makes it easy to design and certify resource-efficient and zero carbon buildings.
“We are excited to conclude this next stage of our capital raise, which will enable significant expansion, adding further capacity to our open-access data centre operation and extending open-access hyperscale national, international, and metro connectivity across our key markets in Nigeria, southern Africa, the DRC and Greater East and Central Africa,” said Chris Wood, CEO of WIOCC Group.
“Our policy of continual investment in infrastructure to create Africa’s first, truly open-access interconnected digital ecosystem means ongoing investment for growth, ensuring readiness to meet the future demands of our clients’ customers throughout Africa.”
“The Agence Française de Développement Group have been supporting WIOCC since its inception back in 2007,” said Ariane Ducreux, Head of Energy, Digital and Infrastructure at PROPARCO. “We are very proud to pursue this long-term partnership by supporting the expansion of the Open Access Data Centres’ activities in Nigeria, South Africa, DRC and beyond. Truly neutral and open-access data centres are the cornerstone of a diversified digital ecosystem.
“Local data storage and processing capacity are also vital for the resilience of Africa’s digital network, as recent outages have demonstrated. The sustainability-linked structure of this new financing, along with technical assistance support, also aims to incentivize the rollout of energy and water efficient data centres, while adapting implementations to the specs of each site environment.”
“Our long-standing partnership with WIOCC of more than 15 years demonstrates IFC’s commitment to increasing affordable and reliable digital connectivity in Africa through shared infrastructure.
“This new debt facility will help WIOCC fulfil its ambition to establish an integrated, open-access, core-to-edge cloud ecosystem throughout the African continent, which is critical to bridge the digital divide,” said Bertrand de la Borde, IFC Global Industry Director of infrastructure.
Since its inception in 2008, WIOCC has been investing in Africa’s digital backbone, delivering open-access infrastructure to meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity solutions throughout the continent.
As WIOCC Group continues to transform digital Africa, this latest capital raise signifies a major milestone in its journey towards building a more connected Africa, fostering long-term partnerships and sustainability.
Telecom
NCC Claims to Have Eliminated Unregistered SIMs from Telecoms Networks

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it has successfully eliminated users of unregistered subscriber identity modules (SIM), from the Nigerian telecommunication network, a development that can boost national and cyber security.

Eng. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of NCC,
Eng. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of NCC, who disclosed the information at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, said, however, that it was beyond the scope of the agency to control the names with which some customers used in registered their SIMs.
The NCC CEO pointed out that while the commission had successfully removed unregistered SIMs from its network, some strange names being attached to some of the subscribers reflect what the owners used while registering with their operators.
“No unregistered SIM is operating on the network as of today, but there may be people using names they did not register with, apparently to mask their identities. We cannot control the names attached to each SIM, as they reflect what the owners used at the time of registration with their respective operators,” the EVC said.
“While NCC cannot control that behaviour, it is to be noted that it is an offence to use fake names to make or receive calls in Nigeria,” Maida warned.
The EVC, however, said that the commission has put necessary measures in place to ensure sanity and stability in the industry so that every user can determine the best network operator to patronise based on performance, service delivery and charges.
He said the commission would, in September this year, launch a public map to show subscribers which of the telecoms networks provides the best service and tariff plan to determine which to patronise based on their locations.
Mr. Maida said for the industry to make the required progress and serve the interests of the people, there is a need for a fresh injection of capital from outside the industry, adding that the commission had already revised a series of good governance guidelines to guide operators in the industry.
According to him, the guidelines are aimed at promoting transparency, accountability and boosting investors’ confidence and customers’ trust in the industry.
He said, “The need for good corporate governance guidelines requires that operators in the industry must provide audited reports to boost investors’ confidence and earn the trust and confidence of their customers”.
The ECV explained that the commission approved the recent tariff hike for the industry due to the fact that there had not been any cost-reflective tariff adjustment for a decade, adding that the commission was mindful of the need to protect the interests of both the operators and Nigerian subscribers.
On the issue of threats to telecoms infrastructure nationwide, the EVC announced that he would soon meet with governors to discuss the need for them to team up with NCC to protect telecoms infrastructure in their domains and to also eliminate multiple taxes on the operators so as to improve service delivery and ensure national security.
Telecom
Aliyu Aboki Applauds Broadband Mapping as About Expanding Opportunity in Africa

The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Association (WATRA) has commended Nigeria for its exemplary leadership in broadband infrastructure mapping, following the successful ITU Africa Broadband Mapping (BBMaps) National Event recently held in Abuja.
The national event marked a key milestone in the pilot phase of the Africa-BB-Maps initiative, a flagship project of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), implemented with funding from the European Union. The four-year (2025–2028) programme aims to support eleven Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, in establishing harmonized national broadband mapping systems to accelerate digital development and investment.
WATRA’s Strategic Engagement
Representing WATRA at the event, Mr. Ruffus Samuel, Principal Manager for Partnerships, contributed to a high-level session titled “Context and Current State – Intervention by International Partners”. WATRA highlighted the importance of broadband mapping harmonization across West Africa, stressing its potential to serve as a foundation for smart regulation, infrastructure investment, and regional digital integration.
WATRA Executive Secretary Aliyu Yusuf Aboki reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to working closely with national regulators such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to promote coordinated approaches to infrastructure mapping.
“Nigeria’s robust and transparent broadband mapping system stands as a model for the West African region,” said Mr. Aboki. “Through data-driven policymaking, we can close connectivity gaps and lay the groundwork for an inclusive digital economy.”
Nigeria’s Role as Regional Leader
The event spotlighted the NCC’s broadband mapping framework as a leading example for Africa. Participants from across the continent acknowledged the NCC’s technical capacity and policy foresight, underscoring Nigeria’s growing role in shaping regional ICT strategy.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of the NCC, with notable participation from:
- Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
- Zissimos Vergos, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Nigeria
- Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Green and Digital Economy, EU Delegation
- Senior representatives from ITU, ECOWAS, and national stakeholders
Key Recommendations and Outcomes
- Stakeholders recommended the creation of a National Broadband Mapping Task Force chaired by the NCC to coordinate data standards, governance, and updates.
- WATRA emphasized the importance of regional interoperability and pledged continued engagement with ITU, NCC, and development partners.
- The event underscored the necessity of collaboration among governments, regulators, infrastructure owners, and technical partners to ensure the reliability and usefulness of broadband data.
Toward Regional Digital Transformation
The Africa-BB-Maps initiative is aligned with the Africa–Europe Digital Regulators Partnership and the EU Global Gateway Strategy, both of which promote sustainable digital infrastructure development and cross-border cooperation. WATRA plays a critical role in translating these goals into actionable frameworks for its 16 member states.
“This initiative is more than mapping—it’s about enabling investment, expanding opportunity, and achieving our collective digital aspirations,” Mr. Aboki concluded.
Telecom
MTN Group Restructures Executive Team, Appoints Toriola VP for Francophone Africa

MTN Group has announced a restructuring of its executive leadership team to strengthen the implementation of its Ambition 2025 strategy and drive long-term growth across key markets.
The telecommunications giant disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the changes are aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and accelerating digital inclusion across Africa.
According to the statement, Dr Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, has been appointed Vice President for Francophone Africa, effective Nov. 1, 2025.
He will oversee operations in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Congo Brazzaville, while retaining his role as CEO of MTN Nigeria.
MTN said the appointment reflects its confidence in Nigerian leadership and underscores Nigeria’s strategic importance to the Group’s overall success.
Under Toriola’s leadership, MTN Nigeria became the first telecommunications company to attain ₦10 trillion in market capitalisation, driven by strong financial performance, innovation and operational excellence.
Toriola previously served as Vice President for West and Central Africa between 2015 and 2021, overseeing 13 countries.
Commenting on the development, MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, said the leadership changes would support the accelerated execution of the Group’s strategy beyond 2025 and enhance value creation for stakeholders.
“These changes illustrate the depth of talent and experience across the Group,” Mupita said.
The restructuring aligns with MTN’s strategic focus on three core platforms: Connectivity, Fintech and Digital Infrastructure.
The Group said it is intensifying efforts to expand home broadband services, simplify digital offerings, scale financial services through a digital-first approach, and invest in fibre networks, data centres and AI-driven efficiencies.
MTN reaffirmed its commitment to leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress, noting that the leadership evolution is a key step towards achieving its long-term vision.
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