Telecom
MTN Transforms Airtime Recharge Scheme with VTU+
MTN Nigeria on Wednesday recorded another first in the global telecommunication services with the re-launch of its Virtual Top Up Plus (VTU+), an airtime recharge mechanism that allows a VTU vendor (VTU seller) top up MTN subscriber account without the use of USSD code.
Although MTN Nigeria in 2011 moved a step further in providing convenient and secure services to its customers with the launch of the virtual recharge option, it believes with the re-launch the service would enable subscribers recharge their phones without the use of physical cards.
This entails MTN Nigeria has provided a charitable option to scratch cards and personal identification number (PINs). “Just give the vendor your GSM number and tell him the amount. Prepaid and postpaid numbers are allowed. The Subscriber will get an SMS notification for a successful recharge. Isn’t that cool!,” MTN boasted.
Speaking during a press briefing to announce the launching of the platform in Lagos, Richard Iweanoge, general manager, Business Development, MTN Nigeria, said that the Company feels elated by the innovative prowess through the platform, which is the first in the global telecommunication industry.
“The determined efforts of MTN Nigeria are tailored towards adding value to the lives of the subscribers. This innovation entails that customers can seamlessly top up their credit from any part of the world hence they are in contact with their vendors. To unveil VTU Plus, this is another innovation first from MTN.
“This product is the first of its kind; it does not exist anywhere in Europe or America. It is going to reduce a lot of stress on their parts, grow businesses and engender relationships. We are happy about it knowing that we are setting the pace for others to follow,” he said.
Iweanoge added that the platform will curb vices associated with recharging cards sells and top up.
On his part, Omatsola Barrow, sales and distribution executive, MTN Nigeria, explained that VTU works by an SMS application on the SIM card, as all transactions from the phone are carried through SMS on the network. It implies that the vendor will simply enter the phone number of the recipient and the amount of air time on the VTU menu.
Notably, Barrow said the scheme embraces the distributors, sub-distributors, vendors/retailers, agents (linked directly to Sub-distributors account) and delegates (linked directly to distributors account).
According to him, VTU Plus is a win-win platform for the trade partners as it will enable MTN them to make one single payment for Stock but be able to sell 48 different MTN products and services.
“VTU+ will offer effective tracking and monitoring of sales by both MTN and TPs; safe keeping of unsold stock in Electronic format; reduce cost of Inventory; increase speed of distribution of products and services to the end users; eliminate losses in theft of stock and eliminate cost of warehousing, staff, storage etc,” he added.
VTU Plus, an Electronic Voucher Distribution (EVD) Platform and a strategic direct to retail tool and has the advantage of a paperless environment and has no need for thermal POS paper, however, is not a payment platform.
Aside enabling convenient recharge for subscribers, the MTN VTU+, Iweanoge noted, will further promote the Nigerian entrepreneurial spirit, creating employment for the unemployed and additional source of income for the employed.
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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