General News
Mart Networks Brings Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions from Infopercept to Africa
Mart Networks Group, a leading value-added distributor with a presence in the Middle East and Africa, has announced a distribution partnership with Infopercept, a leading platform-led managed security services company.
Under this agreement, Mart Networks will serve as a distributor in East and West Africa for Invinsense Offensive Extended Detection and Response (OXDR), a platform for threat exposure management, and Invinsense Govern Secure Optimize and Strengthen (GSOS), a platform for security compliance management.
Invinsense OXDR is a comprehensive threat exposure management suite that integrates Attack Surface Management (ASM), Vulnerability Management (VM), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS), Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART), and RedOps. It enables organizations to discover, prioritize, validate, and remediate their security exposures. These exposures extend beyond vulnerabilities to include misconfigured assets, security control weaknesses, counterfeit assets, and poor responses to phishing simulations.
Invinsense GSOS, a compliance platform, is meticulously designed to streamline the process of achieving various security compliance standards while optimizing efficiency. Comprising seven modules, it enables organizations to develop robust cybersecurity strategies, simplify compliance management, strengthen security protocols, mitigate risks, enhance cybersecurity awareness and readiness, and ensure regulatory adherence for protecting sensitive data.
“The increasing sophistication and volume of cyberattacks in Africa demand a comprehensive cybersecurity approach,” said Moiz Maloo, CEO of Mart Networks Group. “Africa must now go beyond preventive security and detection and response by incorporating proactive strategies like Threat Exposure Management.
“Security compliance is another challenge for African organizations, and they need a platform-driven approach to achieve compliance holistically.”
Speaking on the partnership with Infopercept, Mr. Maloo added, “Mart Networks is focused on two key areas: cybersecurity and delivering tomorrow’s technology today. With decades of experience in value-added distribution for cybersecurity, we have already created significant value for our customers and partners in preventive security, detection, and response. Africa is a prime target for sophisticated cyberattacks, leading to increasingly stringent security compliance requirements.
“We recognized gaps in our cybersecurity offerings and sought to address them. Infopercept’s Invinsense platform fills these gaps by providing both threat exposure management and security compliance solutions, along with managed services. This collaboration will help us protect African organizations from breaches and security exposures.”
Expressing enthusiasm about the partnership, Jaydeep Ruparelia, CEO of Infopercept, said, “Since our inception, Infopercept has been committed to cybersecurity. For our expansion into Africa, we sought a distribution partner equally passionate about the field, and we found that in Mart Networks.
“Africa presents a unique landscape with a diverse range of organizations. On one end, there are cloud-native companies, while on the other, some organizations prefer to remain entirely on-premise, with many adopting a hybrid model. With Invinsense, we have built a scalable platform that caters to the cybersecurity and compliance needs of all these organizations.
“Our platform-led managed security services model also addresses the significant cybersecurity skills gap, which is a global challenge. With Mart Networks as our partner, we are confident in delivering two critical cybersecurity outcomes for organizations in the region: defending against sophisticated cyberattacks and ensuring security compliance.”
Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) has warned of possible floods in parts of Adamawa, Bauchi, Edo, Imo, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Benue, and Borno states within the next seven days.
According to information posted on NIHSA X handle, the Agency announced medium flood advisory in force for the next 7 days across Adamawa, Bauchi, and 11 other States.
“Localised inundation is forecast along the main channel; named communities below sit on the projected footprint. Stations: Saminara on the Karam river, Waya Dam Site on the Waya river, Amber on the Amber river.
“Adamawa; Lemsa, Lamurde, Numan Exposure: 147 comm. 49 schis 40 hith 6 mkts17 relig. Bauchi-Bauchi, Ningi, Shira. Exposure: 4 comm. Kaduna; Chikun, Giwa, Igabi, Jaba, Jema’a, Kachia, Kaura, Kauru, +6 more. Exposure: 1 comm.
“Borno-Gubio, Mobbar. Exposure: 680 comm. 8 schls 6 hith 5 mkts 21 relig. Edo-Akoko-Ed, EtsakoEa, EtsakoWe, Ikpoba-Okha, Orhionmw, OviaNort, OviaSo.. Exposure: 3 comm.
“Imo-Aboh-Mba, Oguta, Ohaji/Eg, Okigwe, Owerri North, Owerri West. Exposure: 3 comm. 7 more states affected and severity LGAs”.
NIHSA advised people in the affected areas to “do NOT cross flooded roads, bridges, or fast-moving water on foot or by vehicle.
“Clear drainage channels and river-mouth blockages; avoid building or living in the floodplain and move people, livestock and valuables from the floodplain to pre-identified higher ground,” NIHSA stated.
General News
First Trustees Advocates Estate Planning as an Essential Tool in Every Wealth Creation Strategy
First Trustees Limited, a subsidiary of FirstHoldCo Plc., and a leading provider of fiduciary and trusteeship services in Nigeria, is encouraging individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors to view Estate Planning not as an end-of-life exercise, but as a strategic investment tool for protecting, preserving, and transferring wealth across generations.
As more Nigerians focus on wealth creation through businesses, real estate investments, and other income-generating assets, experts are emphasizing that building wealth is only one part of the equation.
Equally important is creating structures that ensure those assets remain protected, properly managed, and seamlessly transferred to succeeding generations in accordance with the asset owner’s wishes. Importantly, Estate Planning is not solely for the wealthy, it is a prudent step for anyone with assets, dependants, or a business to protect, regardless of age, profession, or net worth.
Speaking on the importance of Estate Planning, Ereifemi Akeredolu, Managing Director/CEO, First Trustees Limited, noted that Estate Planning should be considered a core pillar of every long-term financial strategy.
“Many people focus on creating wealth but give litle thought to preserving it. Estate Planning is a wealth protection strategy that helps individuals safeguard their assets, secure their family’s future, and ensure that the value they build today continues to benefit future generations.”
Using tools such as Trusts, Wills, and advanced succession plans, individuals can build structures that support wealth preservation, business continuity, asset protection, and intergenerational wealth transfer.
For entrepreneurs and business owners, Estate Planning serves as a powerful tool for ensuring business sustainability, helping organizations remain stable and operational regardless of unforeseen circumstances.
First Trustees continues to emphasize and educate on the importance of Estate Planning as a comprehensive strategy for proactive planning. It remains one of the most important financial decisions an individual can make: it provides clarity, minimizes uncertainty, and protects assets from unnecessary erosion and disputes. It also creates financial security for loved ones, supports business succession and continuity, and facilitates long-term investment and legacy planning.
General News
Nearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
Nearpays, Nigerian fintech, has won the AI for Good Innovation Factory grand finale — the first African startup ever to take the global title in the competition, which runs as part of the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit.
The competition drew more than 500 startups worldwide, each pitching AI solutions aimed at social and economic challenges.
The summit itself is organised by the UN through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with several UN agencies, convening governments, researchers, startups, and technology companies around AI’s role in development.
Nearpays’ route to the title ran through Johannesburg, where it won the African regional competition, before advancing to the global finals in Geneva.
There, the company progressed through the semi-finals and claimed the grand finale — a first for the continent.
The company describes the win as bigger than a corporate milestone, calling it a victory for African innovation and proof that technology built to solve local problems can compete, and win, on the world stage.
Nearpays was founded to close a stubborn gap in African payments: small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford or access traditional point-of-sale terminals.
Cost, availability, and deployment hurdles have kept many merchants — particularly in rural and underserved communities — locked out of digital payments.
Its answer is SoftPOS: an AI-powered platform that turns compatible Android smartphones into payment acceptance devices, letting merchants take contactless card payments with nothing more than their phones. AI is embedded across the platform, supporting payment processing, compliance, fraud detection, and business operations.
Crucially, the platform was built for African infrastructure realities — it works both online and offline, so merchants can keep accepting payments even without internet connectivity.
The company credited its team’s years of product development and customer engagement for the result, and thanked the UN, the ITU, and the AI for Good initiative for building a platform where innovators can apply AI to real-world problems.
It also said it hopes the win encourages more African founders to build technology that answers local needs while competing internationally.
For Nearpays, the title closes one chapter and opens another, as the company pushes on with expanding digital financial infrastructure across Afric
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