Telecom
Minister Commends NCC for Reducing Invalidly-Registered SIM Cards by 74%
Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, minister of communications has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for quick implementation of his directive to the Commission to tackle over 9.2 invalidly-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards on Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the country, saying the NCC has worked with MNOs to reduce the number by 73.61 per cent within one week.
The Minister gave the commendation during the presentation and oath-taking of four new members of Board of Commissioners of the NCC, already cleared by the Senate, to him in his office on Monday, September 16, 2019 in Abuja.
The new NCC board members were presented to the Minister by Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, the NCC Board Chairman, and in attendance were the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Clement Baiye, a non-executive commissioner on the Board of NCC, other senior management members of the Commission, officials of the Ministry, other industry stakeholders and members of the press.
At the occasion, the oath of office was subsequently administered on the new board members including Engr. Ubale Maska, as Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Prof. Millionaire Abowei; Salman Abdul-Azeez and Aliyu Abubakar, three of who are non-executive commissioners.
While congratulating the new members over their appointments by the President, Pantami urged them to “work together with existing board members of the Commission on how we can effectively utilise telecoms and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in general to support the tripartite agenda of the President to improve security, improve economy and reduce poverty as well as fight corruption.”
Pantami further enjoined the Board members to work harmoniously with each other and leverage their wealth of experience to double the contribution of ICT to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next coming years.
According to him, “By the second quarter of this year, ICT had contributed 13.86 per cent to the country’s GDP and this is encouraging.
“Generally, non-oil’s GDP contribution to economy was 91 per cent. The NCC has played a significant role in this direction and I will enjoin the NCC Board members and management to always challenge yourselves to exceed current or previous successes.”
Pantami also noted that NCC had briefed him on the 200 access gaps in the country where almost 40 million Nigerians do not currently have access to telecommunication services and which, he said, must be addressed.
“We would have succeeded in doubling the sector’s GDP contribution if we work together to close about 80 per cent of this 200 access gaps.
“As part of measure to achieve this, the NCC has told us about its plan to have access points in all the 774 local government areas in the country and as a ministry, we won’t hesitate to give you necessary support in this regard,” Pantami said.
Elaborating on the reduction in invalidly-registered SIM cards success by the NCC, the Minister thanked the Commission for its promptness in implementing the directive he had given to the Commission last week to take immediate measures towards reducing the over 9.2 million invalidly-registered SIM cards on the networks.
“Last week, I made an official statement that we had directed the NCC to ensure operators address the issue of over 9.2 million invalidly-registered SIM cards on their networks.
“By today, report from NCC indicated that 6.75 million of the SIM cards have been rectified and this is highly commendable,” he stated.
While noting that the number of cleared SIM cards represents an appreciable 73.61 per cent reduction in the 9.2 million figure, leaving only 2.4 million yet to be cleared, the Minister urged the NCC to ensure the remaining numbers “are cleaned up by September 25, 2019, so that every SIM card that is involved in any crime-related issue can easily be identified.”
According to him, “Ninety per cent of security issues today lies on ICT and as such, NCC has a critical role to play in helping to address the issue of insecurity in the country, which is one key agenda area of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I believe we have a strong team at the Commission to build the ‘Next Level NCC’ for the country.”
In his remarks, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, chairman of NCC Board thanked the Minister for his readiness to support the Commission in his various efforts at leveraging the ICT/telecoms to create economic prosperity for the country.
He stated, though “we are still expecting two new board members already appointed by the President to join the Commission once the National Assembly resumes from recess to have the full complement of 9-member Board of NCC, the Commission is committed to leveraging ICT to support Mr. President’s agenda at improving security, bolstering the economy and reducing poverty as well as in fighting corruption.”
In the wake of increasing geopolitical tension, Cassava Technologies has unveiled its National Sovereign Cloud offering for African governments.
The solution, the company claims, will help the continent’s governments ensure data is kept on infrastructure that remains under local legal and operational jurisdiction.
According to the official announcement, made yesterday, the solution provides “secure, locally-governed digital infrastructure that enables the deployment of AI-enabled public services”.
The overarching solution encompasses cloud, cyber security, AI computing infrastructure, as well as local language AI models and skills support for governments.
The announcement comes amid increasing uncertainty over the hosting of sensitive national data on cloud services operated by foreign hyperscalers, which are subject to legal frameworks, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act. The CLOUD Act opens the door to allow American authorities to access data stored on the servers of US hyperscalers, wherever those servers are physically located.
Cassava has claimed separately that currently, “approximately 33% to 45% of the world’s data is hosted in the USA”.
The company added: “A sovereign cloud reduces exposure to extraterritorial laws, improves cyber resilience, and ensures that model weights and training data for public AI remain under national custody.”
The Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 Economic Report states that “data sovereignty has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever”.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology and AI Officer, Cassava Technologies said: “Across Africa, governments are accelerating their digital transformation agendas and are increasingly focused on ensuring that data and digital infrastructure remain secure and sovereign.”
Announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, this week, the Sovereign Cloud offering launch accompanied the launch of Cassava’s Cloud Partner programme.
The partner programme targets mobile network operators and system integrators across Africa to resell and distribute AI, cloud, and other digital services using Cassava’s infrastructure and technology platforms.
El Beheiry added: “We are expanding Africa’s sovereign AI ecosystem to build solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges while creating new opportunities for growth and digital inclusion.”
The programme offers partners access to NVIDIA Cloud Partner solutions, Cassava’s AI Factory, its own native AI solutions and its AI Multi-Model Exchange, which supports both Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
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