Telecom
NCC Partners SMEDAN to Establish SME Digital Academy
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has partnered the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to establish a SME Digital Academy.
L-R: Ibrahim Mohammed, Head, Corporate Communications, SMEDAN; Gbenga Ogundeji, Deputy Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department, SMEDAN; Dr. Austin Nwaulune, Director, Digital Economy, NCC; Moses Ewans, Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department; Kelechi Nwankwo Deputy Director, Research and Development, NCC and Amu Ogbeide, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sapphital Learning Ltd
The SME Digital Academy is a public-private partnership initiative being driven by the NCC, SMEDAN, and Sapphital Learning Limited, a leading digital learning platform, essentially to provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) owners with digital skills to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.
The partnership also aims to equip entrepreneurs and start-ups with the necessary digital skills required to navigate the increasingly digitised world.
Speaking at the launch, which took place at the NEXIM House in Abuja recently, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, said the setting up of the scheme was based on the realization that in today’s global economy, a borderless educational and economic system will be the next stage of the digital economy.
The EVC represented at the launch by Dr. Austin Nwaulune, director, Digital Economy, NCC, noted that, while the collaboration between the NCC and SMEDAN was a step towards economic diversification, digital technologies were key in the implementation of this initiative .
He said the NCC had continued to work towards providing information and communications technology (ICT) support to various sectors in the country. He noted that with over 41 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, proper empowerment of entrepreneurs would create an extremely powerful impact on the nation’s economic growth.
Danbatta said SMEs’ empowerment would also help in providing employment, lessening societal vices, developing the economy, increasing foreign exchange as well as improving the general well-being of Nigerians.
“Knowledge is pivotal to the growth of entrepreneurship, as it provides the businessman or woman, the know-how on raising capital, strategic partnership, and proper organisational, administrative, sales and marketing skills required to run an effective business. Knowledge is, therefore, the food of every economy, especially, the digital economy, as it fuels its growth and stimulated the digital ecosystem,” he said.
Danbatta recalled that when SMEDAN set up the Digital Academy, in November 2020, as an avenue to support SME development during the Covid- 19 lockdown, the NCC was excited and immediately keyed into the strategic partnership because of the potential impact of the initiative on the Nigerian economy.
He acknowledged the role of SMEDAN as a bridge between the instructors and students, experts and start-ups, funding parties and businesses to the millions of MSMEs. “So, the timing is precise for the collaboration as the country is in dire need of diversification.
Through the Digital Academy, the MSMEs, start-ups, freelancers, would be provided with a platform to access courses “on-the-go” from devices and locations of their convenience,” he said.
The EVC restated the unflinching commitment of the Commission to providing the required leverage needed for ICT development in Nigeria, just as it will support the Digital Academy to provide a digital platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Dikko Radda, director-general of SMEDAN, who was represented by the Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion at the agency, Moses Ewan, expressed delight at the partnership with the NCC, and declared that over 41.5 million MSME were domiciled in Nigeria.
Citing a recent survey, Radda noted that the entrepreneurs had contributed 49.78 per cent to the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP), leading to the employment of about 59.6 million Nigerians which translates to 76.5 per cent of the labour force.
“These small-scale enterprises need to be encouraged and nurtured to enable them to create jobs, contribute to the alleviation of poverty, and want.
“SMEDAN, which is an agency in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry and established over 15 years ago, operates on five platforms, namely, dissemination of information, delivery of business development services, networking and cluster formation, policy and public advocacy, and lastly, provision of access to critical resources,” Radda said.
Amu Ogbeide, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sapphital Learning Limited, in his opening remarks, said his company was excited to be working with SMEDAN on the ongoing efforts to empower entrepreneurs and start-ups in the country.
He also said that, through working with SMEDAN, Sapphital has been instrumental to the digitisation of SMEDAN’s entrepreneurial digital literacy journey.
Ogbeide also stated that at the beginning of the digital literacy program, Sapphital started with only three courses which have increased to over 60 courses in its curriculum.
“We believe that the Nigerian diversification journey is a work in progress and the country is on the exalted path towards full digitisation.
The combination of the digital economy with SMEs will lead to exponential economic growth of the country,” he said, and concluded that the American company, Uber, was a success story of the power of the ICT and the economy.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is reportedly in discussions to offer the U.S. government a five per cent equity stake in the company as part of efforts to address growing political and regulatory scrutiny surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).
According to a report by the Financial Times, the proposal is still at an early stage and would see other leading American AI companies consider similar arrangements to allow the public to benefit from the industry’s rapid growth.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman, was quoted as saying that public ownership would enable citizens to share in the economic benefits generated by AI while helping to build public trust in the technology.
Based on OpenAI’s March funding round, which valued the company at about 852 billion dollars, a five per cent stake would be worth approximately 42.6 billion dollars.
The report said the proposal comes amid increasing concerns over AI’s impact on jobs, national security and the concentration of wealth within a handful of technology companies.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration was exploring ways to ensure Americans benefit directly from the country’s leadership in artificial intelligence, including the possibility of government equity stakes in AI companies.
Under the reported proposal, OpenAI executives suggested that major AI firms could allocate five per cent of their equity to a public investment vehicle modelled after the Alaska Permanent Fund, which invests state oil revenues and distributes returns for public benefit.
The discussions are also taking place as OpenAI and rival AI company Anthropic prepare for potential stock market listings that would allow public investment in their businesses.
According to the report, implementation of such an arrangement could require approval by the U.S. Congress, while it remains unclear whether other AI companies would support the proposal.
OpenAI had previously advocated the creation of a “public wealth fund” that would give every citizen a stake in AI-driven economic growth, regardless of whether they participate in financial markets.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration intensifies oversight of advanced AI technologies while promoting U.S. leadership in the rapidly expanding sector.
Kashifu Inuwa, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has said the next phase of growth for Nigeria’s banking sector will be driven less by capital accumulation and more by the ability of financial institutions to build digital trust through artificial intelligence (AI), regulatory technology (RegTech) and cyber resilience.
From left: Wole Famurewa, Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre; the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa; Prof. Olayinka David West of Lagos Business School; and Femi Osinubi, Africa Advisory Leader, PwC, during the panel session, “The Efficiency Frontier – AI, RegTech and Cyber Resilience,” at the Future of Banking Nigeria Summit organised by CNBC Africa in Lagos.
Speaking during a panel session titled “The Efficiency Frontier – AI, RegTech and Cyber Resilience” at the Future of Banking Nigeria Summit organised by CNBC Africa in Lagos, Inuwa argued that while Nigeria’s banking industry has successfully weathered major reforms over the past two decades, the emerging threats confronting the sector require a different approach.
He noted that the industry has repeatedly demonstrated resilience through landmark milestones such as the 2005 banking consolidation, the 2009 banking reforms and the ongoing recapitalisation exercise. According to him, the priority has now shifted from simply raising capital to ensuring that such capital is protected and sustained in an increasingly digital economy.
“Today’s question is no longer whether we can raise capital, but whether we can protect, preserve and grow that capital in the digital era. Trust has become the foundation of modern banking, and that trust must be built on resilient digital infrastructure and effective regulation,” he said.
Inuwa observed that digital channels have become the primary point of interaction between banks and customers, making technology resilience, cybersecurity and uninterrupted service delivery essential to maintaining public confidence in the financial system.
He described artificial intelligence as a strategic tool capable of transforming banking operations by improving productivity, strengthening decision-making, boosting revenue and delivering personalised financial services that reflect the expectations of digitally connected customers.
The DG also highlighted the growing importance of regulatory technology, saying its adoption can simplify compliance, lower operational costs, improve transparency and strengthen governance across financial institutions.
According to him, effective regulation must evolve alongside innovation. He explained that NITDA combines formal regulatory instruments with collaborative, innovation-friendly approaches that allow emerging technologies to develop while regulators establish appropriate standards and safeguards.
“Technology evolves much faster than traditional regulation. Regulators must work closely with innovators to create enabling frameworks that encourage innovation while protecting consumers and maintaining market confidence,” he said.
Using Nigeria’s thriving fintech ecosystem as an example, Inuwa said technology has fundamentally changed the delivery of financial services by enabling customers to open accounts, access banking products and carry out transactions remotely without visiting physical branches.
He further called for closer collaboration among regulators to improve access to finance for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). He explained that AI-powered credit assessment and digital financial management tools can help financial institutions better understand business performance, reduce lending risks and expand credit to underserved enterprises.
On responsible AI adoption, Inuwa disclosed that NITDA’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy provides a framework for deploying AI across critical sectors in partnership with sector regulators, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for financial services.
He added that the Agency is also developing National Standards for Sovereign Cloud infrastructure and data classification to strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and ensure that sensitive national and financial data remain adequately protected.
Inuwa concluded that deeper collaboration among regulators, technology innovators and financial institutions will be critical to building a secure, resilient and globally competitive financial ecosystem that supports sustainable economic growth.
Indian government has asked Meta Platforms to suspend the rollout of WhatsApp’s proposed username feature in the country over fears that it could fuel online fraud, impersonation and phishing attacks.
The directive, issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), comes days after WhatsApp announced plans to introduce usernames globally, allowing users to connect without sharing their phone numbers in a move aimed at enhancing privacy.
India, WhatsApp’s largest market with more than 500 million users, expressed concern that the feature could make it easier for cybercriminals to impersonate individuals and organisations, particularly among users with limited digital literacy.
According to media reports, the ministry, in a letter to Meta, warned that the feature could increase incidents of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and identity theft.
A senior government official was quoted as saying that malicious actors could claim usernames resembling those of legitimate individuals and use them to deceive unsuspecting users.
The ministry has reportedly asked Meta not to launch the feature in India until consultations with the government are concluded and the company provides satisfactory explanations on the safeguards built into the system. Authorities have also asked WhatsApp to respond to the concerns within three days.
Responding to the concerns, Meta said the username feature had not yet gone live in India and stressed that multiple security measures had been incorporated to prevent abuse.
The company said usernames for high-profile public figures and verified organisations had already been reserved to prevent impersonation.
Meta added that users would still require a phone number to register for WhatsApp and that the platform had introduced several layers of protection, including limits on messaging unknown users, restrictions on repeated attempts to guess usernames, and systems to detect and remove impersonation and scam-related activities.
The latest development comes as India intensifies efforts to combat cybercrime amid a sharp rise in digital fraud cases across the country.
Government data indicate that financial losses from cyber fraud have risen significantly in recent years, prompting closer scrutiny of digital platforms and their security features.
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