Telecom
MTN Nigeria Kicks off MoMo Agent Service in Major Nigerian Cities
MTN Nigeria’s Y’ello Digital Financial Services (YDFS) officials over the weekend stormed various market locations across the country including Igando, Ikotun and Iyana Ipaja markets in Lagos as well as the popular Mile One Market in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the regional launch and sensitisation event following the introduction of the MoMo Agent Network financial service.
It would be recalled, that MTN MoMo Agent service was officially launched in Abuja on August 29, 2019, which aims to support the Central Bank of Nigeria’s drive for financial inclusion, by providing safe and accessible money transfer to the millions of Nigeria’s underbanked and unbanked.
The first phase of the regional launch which took place in Lagos and Port Harcourt between September 26 and 28, 2019, will continue in the coming weeks in Kano, Ibadan and Owerri.
Speaking at a live demo session on how the MoMo Agent works at the Igando market, Cyril Ilok, chief risk and compliance officer, MTN Nigeria, while recounting the difficulty it took people in the not too distant past to deliver money to their loved ones via interstate transport, said the key advantage of the MoMo Agent is to prevent revenue leakage.
“You no longer need to spend time that is supposed to be for your business chasing financial transactions because the MoMo Agent is quick and instant regardless of the city in Nigeria where the recipient is located,” Cyril enthused.
There was a surprise appearance by Nollywood sensation, Sanyeri Afonja, at the Igando market, which left the crowd ecstatic; and music performances at the Ikotun and Iyana Ipaja markets to spice up the launch.
Also, customers carried out on-the-spot transactions and were rewarded with gifts such as home appliances, branded stationery, among others.
In Port Harcourt, at the Mile One market, Usoro Usoro, director, YDFS, said the MoMo Agent Network opens up a host of opportunities, one that creates employment and facilitates business in rural and urban areas across Nigeria.
According to him, the idea is to leverage MTN’s extensive distribution network and capabilities to provide financial services to the unbanked Nigerians living in communities spread across the country.
“The people we are very passionate about are those who don’t have a bank account, and we are saying that with MoMo Agent, you can send money to any part of the country. This is why we chose to visit the Mile One Market to demonstrate our service,” Usoro said.
At the launch, interested traders in Mile One market were signed up as MoMo Agents; one such person being Ms. Obilor Ogechi, a trader in kitchen utensils.
Asked why she was signing up, Ms. Ogechi said that she was excited with the offering from the YDFS, saying that being a very busy businesswoman, she was certain it would make life easier for her.
“Ideally, my bank is very far from the market, and so it’s usually difficult for me leaving my shop to go send money to someone.
“Also, look at right now, it is raining and would have been extra difficult if I wanted to go to the bank to send money,” Ogechi said.
The idea behind the regional launch and sensitisation event is part of the YDFS’s mission to put financial services within easy reach of every bankable Nigerian.
With the MoMo Agent service complementing existing banking services via extending access to simple money transfer services and other financial services nationwide, the subsidiary plans on rolling out about 500,000 Agents across Nigeria, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
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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