Telecom
Mastercard, Meta Partner to Support the Digitization and Growth of SMEs in Middle East & Africa Region

The world is moving at a faster pace with globalization being fuelled by technology which is enabling companies to scale beyond borders at a pace of months as opposed to years previously.

In this context, Mastercard is collaborating with Meta to support the digitization and growth of SMEs across the MEA region by organizing a training webinar that will provide SMEs insights from industry experts, and a masterclass on how to manage uncertainty from renowned author and academic Nathan Furr, Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD. The event takes place on Wednesday, 8 December at 11.00 West African Time.
Access to credit, data, training and digital tools are among the key challenges for SMEs, further compounded by infrastructure limitations and power supply interruptions in some MEA markets. As research increasingly points to offering choice, SMEs must adapt to a growing hybrid environment with a demand for ecommerce and new payment options.
“The challenges that small and medium businesses continue to experience as a result of COVID-19 are significant, and we remain firmly committed to supporting them in both recovering and, in due time, thriving.
“We have an important role to play, providing the necessary digital skills for startups and small businesses to survive, recover and deliver results online and offline.
“We are continuing those training efforts in partnership with Mastercard, helping further boost a burgeoning start-up ecosystem to positively impact socio-economic growth across the region,” said Derya Matras, Vice President, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Meta.
“Small businesses form the backbone of local communities, driving growth of the global economy. The SME segment was highly impacted during the pandemic due to the lack of scale and access to capital.
“This is a critical time for entrepreneurs and small business owners to have that access to the right resources, insights, tools and solutions to recover from the impact of the pandemic and thrive. Our partnership with Meta will help support SME growth in the region,” commented Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard.
Although challenges related to the pandemic remain, small businesses in the Middle East & Africa are reclaiming confidence. The recent 2021 Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index found 74% of SMEs in the region are optimistic about future growth, guided by the potential for digitalization, better data, access to credit and upskilling.
Through technology services, cyber assessments, insights, grants, digital training, mentoring platforms and knowledge initiatives, Mastercard will contribute $250 million over five years to support small businesses’ financial security globally.
As part of its goal to build a more sustainable and inclusive world, Mastercard has committed to connect 50 million small businesses, including 25 million women entrepreneurs globally, to the digital economy by 2025.
For years Mastercard has been focused on moving businesses at the margins to digital growth in the mainstream. Mastercard’s extensive experience with financial inclusion, and its commitment to include 1 billion people by 2025, makes the company uniquely suited to lead at this critical inflection point.
Telecom
Nigeria, Ghana Trigger Stunning 45 Percent Surge in MTN Dividends

MTN Group delivered impressive financial and operational achievements for 2025, boosted by strong performances in MTN Nigeria and MTN Ghana, as well as solid earnings from MTN South Africa.

The three core markets of Africa’s largest mobile provider enhanced profitability, free cash flow, and shareholder dividends by 45%.
IT Web Africa reported that Ralph Mupita, group CEO and president, MTN, highlighted that the telecoms giant’s robust commercial momentum across key markets capped the final year of its Ambition 2025 strategy, while laying the foundation for a new long-term growth phase under Ambition 2030.
“The Group’s overall performance in 2025 was excellent. In the final year of our Ambition 2025 strategy, we were proud to have exceeded the 300 million customers milestone,” he said.
MTN revealed that it now serves more than 307 million voice subscribers, 172 million data users, and 70 million Mobile Money customers across 16 African markets, reflecting the continent’s growing demand for digital connectivity and financial services.
The operator credited its results to disciplined commercial execution and sustained investment in network infrastructure, with R38 billion spent during the year to expand capacity, improve coverage and enhance service quality.
The group reported that data traffic surged 27%, while average monthly data consumption per user climbed to 12.5GB, up from 10.8GB a year earlier, reflecting Africa’s fast-growing appetite for digital services.
Financially, the performance was driven by MTN’s largest markets.
In constant currency terms, MTN Nigeria grew service revenue by 54.9%, while MTN Ghana increased service revenue by 35.9%.
Meanwhile, MTN South Africa recorded 2% growth, demonstrating operational resilience in one of the continent’s most mature and competitive telecom markets.
MTN Group service revenue rose nearly a quarter to R218 billion, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climbed to R98.5 billion, supported by R3.6 billion in expense efficiencies.
Mupita stressed that the strong results translated into robust free cash flow and improved return generation, allowing the board to declare a dividend of 500 cents per share, up from 345 cents the previous year.
“This comfortably exceeds the minimum dividend of 370 cents we had previously guided,” he said.
The group also announced a R6 billion share buyback programme as part of an enhanced shareholder remuneration framework aimed at delivering stronger long-term returns.
Alongside its results, MTN unveiled Ambition 2030, a strategy centred on three platforms, connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure, as it seeks to capture the next wave of growth driven by data adoption and financial inclusion across Africa.
“We are hugely excited about Africa’s potential. We are well positioned to leverage our scale, footprint and brand leadership to capture the significant structural growth opportunities identified,” said Mupita.
Source: IT Web Africa
Telecom
ATCIS Urges FG to Ensure Safety of Consumers Data

Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) non-profit consumer rights group dedicated to protecting the rights, interests, and welfare of telecommunications subscribers, has urged the Federal Government to ensure safety of telecom consumers’ data hosted by government agencies.

Dr Sina Bilesanmi, president of the body stated this World Consumers Day in Lagos.
He alleged that said subscribers” data are being jeopardised by some of its agencies.
Bilesanmi urged government to ensure that every subscriber in Nigeria can use digital service without fear of physical, financial, or data-related harm.
The ACTIS president said safety in the telecommunication sector extends beyond physical hardware to include data privacy and protection from cyber fraud.
“We call for stricter enforcement by the Standard organization of Nigeria (SON) to eliminate substandard mobile devices and Cable Tv equipment that pose fire or electric hazards.
“We also want safe services from telecoms that are transparent – free from hidden charges and misleading advertisements”, he said.
He urged subscribers to utilize platforms like ACTIS as well as NCC and even FCCPC web portal when they encounter service failures.
He also tasked FG on hosting Nigerian Data Privacy in the country.
He said: “We ask for more robust surveillance and swifter penalties for entities that violate consumer safety standards. We admonish the subscribers to be aware and speak out, a vigilant consumer is a protected consumer.”
Telecom
New Horizons Nigeria Commissions ICT Centre @Adeleke University to Boost Tech Skills

In a major boost to technology education and digital innovation in Nigeria, New Horizons Systems Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of the US-based global ICT training organization, New Horizons Worldwide, has commissioned a state-of-the-art ICT facility at Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State.

New Horizons Nigeria
The facility, named the Elder (Dr.) I.C. Egbuta ICT Centre, was constructed and donated to the university by New Horizons Nigeria as part of its commitment to equipping Nigerian universities with modern infrastructure capable of preparing students for global competitiveness in the digital economy.
The commissioning ceremony which held on Tuesday March 3rd, 2026 drew dignitaries from the university community, industry, and academia.
The event began on a vibrant note as cultural dancers from the university’s Theatre Arts Department entertained arriving guests with lively traditional performances.
The new ICT center represents another milestone in the long-standing partnership between New Horizons and Adeleke University, a collaboration that has spanned more than a decade.
Through the partnership, the institution has delivered project-based and certification-based ICT training programs, producing thousands of students with globally recognized digital skills and professional certifications across diverse technology disciplines.
Also, the Elder (Dr.) I.C. Egbuta ICT Centre features four fully equipped ICT studios with high-end computer systems, full air-conditioning, and seating capacity for over 750 users. The facility also includes modern conveniences intended to enhance digital learning and professional certification training.
The building was officially commissioned by Chief (Mrs) Modupe Adeleke Sanni, who represented the Chairman of the University Council, Chief Adedeji Adeleke.
In her remarks, she commended New Horizons Nigeria for its sustained investment in the university and reaffirmed the council’s commitment to strengthening the partnership in the years ahead.
Also speaking at the event was the Vice Chancellor of Adeleke University, Professor Solomon A. Adebola, who praised the organization for its consistent contributions to the technological advancement of the institution and the empowerment of Nigerian youths through practical digital training.
Furthermore, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New Horizons Nigeria, Mr. Tim Akano expressed appreciation to the university’s leadership and governing council for their support and enduring collaboration.
He reiterated the organization’s vision of equipping Nigerian universities with facilities and training that will enable students to compete effectively in the global technology ecosystem.
Mr. Akano further noted that New Horizons remains committed to driving innovation within Nigerian universities, with the long-term goal of enabling institutions like Adeleke University to generate research-driven technological solutions capable of attracting patent rights and global recognition.
New Horizons Nigeria, widely recognized as Africa’s largest ICT training organization, continues to strengthen its footprint in Nigeria’s digital education sector. In 2025, the institution received the prestigious Best ICT Training Company award from CompTIA in South Africa.
This further reinforce its leadership position within the continent’s technology training ecosystem. Also, as a franchise of New Horizons International, which operates in over 90 countries across six continents, the organization has consistently aligned with global best practices while addressing local capacity gaps. The organization currently provides ICT training services to more than 30 universities and nearly 200 high schools nationwide.
The center would be used for the training of high-end technical courses like Cyber Security, Web Development, Artificial intelligence, Full Stack, Graphics and CompTIA courses like Hardware, Network and Security Plus.
New Horizons have won about 350 national and international awards in the last 20 years of its operation and it trains over 100,000 students yearly across 27 universities and 150 secondary schools, as well as corporate organizations, government agencies and retail offices.
Students trained by New Horizons Nigeria are always well-sought after in the labour market after graduation and the certificate they obtain are recognized in all the 90 countries where New Horizons have offices.
In conclusion, the ceremony ended with an energetic cultural performance by the university’s theatre group from the Theatre Arts Department, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.
The commissioning of the Elder (Dr.) I.C. Egbuta ICT Centre further strengthens the collaboration between New Horizons and Adeleke University and is expected to deepen efforts toward producing highly skilled ICT professionals and innovators capable of contributing to Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Rolls Out New Rules for Safer Instant Payments, More Customer Control
News2 days agoNIMMME Inaugurates Engr. Michael Orekyeh as 13th National Chairman in Abuja
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Races Ahead in Fibre Broadband Market
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Tightens BVN Rules to Curb Fraudulent Banking Transactions
E-Financial2 days agoNova Bank Appoints Jude Anele as Managing Director/CEO
E-Business2 days agoTech Expert Unveils BAT-BOT AI App to Curb Fake News ahead of 2027 Elections
Broadcasting1 day agoSpotify’s Loud & Clear Report Reveals Over ₦60Bn Revenue for Nigerian Artists in 2025
Telecom1 day agoPwC Warns Nigeria Telcos of AI Fraud Risks



















