Telecom
NCC Says USPF On Course for Availability, Accessibility & Affordability Services
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has stated the strategic activities of the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF, were targeted at ensuring availability of service, accessibility of service, and affordability of service which are the constitutive hallmarks of universal access.
Prof. Danbatta made this statement in Calabar through Kelechi Nwankwo, USPF’s Head of Strategy and Corporate Performance Monitoring, who represented him at the South-South Zonal Workshop on ICT Utilization and Sustainability organised by USPF.
He noted that the workshop was designed to enrich the experience of USPF implementing partners such as the Community Resource Centre managers and the desk officers of the School Knowledge Centre, as well as teachers, students and other stakeholders interested in deepening ICT penetration.
Meanwhile Opinion leaders including community leaders, government functionaries and the enthusiasts of the institutions of the civil society are also invited to key into faith in the alignment of rural ICT projects to the developmental goals and the real needs of the beneficiaries.
Danbatta told an enthusiastic assembly of over 250 youths, representatives of community-based organisations, journalists, government officials and development workers who gathered in Calabar for a two-day knowledge-sharing process designed to deliver concrete results on NCC/USPF determination to expand the frontiers of ICT penetration and usage among the citizens of Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, Secretary of USPF, represented at the workshop by Adejoke Atte, USPF’s Principal Manager for Strategy and Corporate Performance Monitoring, added to Danbatta’s voice when he declared that USPF mandate to promote availability of ICT services in rural, un-served and under-served areas will contribute measurably to Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan’s (ERGP) objectives on telecommunication and ICT.
According to him “These objectives are to: Develop sufficient, efficient, affordable and critical ICT infrastructure; as well as encourage rapid ICT penetration among all socio-economic levels and increase the current coverage of the active mobile broadband subscription per 100 from 20.95 to 50 percent by the Year 2020”.
He also revealed to the workshop participants that the programmatic drivers of these objectives within the context of USPF mandate include the Accelerated Mobile Phone Expansion Programme (AMPEP), the Backbone Transmission Infrastructure (BTRAIN) project, the Rural Broadband Initiative (RUBI), the School Knowledge Centre (SKC), the Community Resource Centre (CRC), and the E-Library, E-Health, E-Accessibility, as well as the Universities Intercampus Connectivity (UNICC) projects among others.
Shuaibu said “the USPF strategic goals for 2013-2017 include the promotion of universal access and service that facilitate connectivity for development; facilitate an enabling environment for ICT; and institutional development.
“Thus, the Fund’s vision of Equitable ICT Access for All will be given concrete expression by instituting processes that ensure universal access and service to ICT through market-based investment that stimulate development in rural, unserved and underserved communities.
“These are the underlying philosophies that birthed the zonal workshops.
The second day of the workshop was devoted wholly to training on technological transfer tagged: BOOTCAMP, where participants will be exposed to Web Development, Android Development, and Anduino – Robotics and Artificial Intelligence – also called Machine Learning.
According to an official of the consultant to USPF on the zonal Workshop programme, Edition 56, Cyril Nyulaku PhD, he said, “the bootcamp is a concrete practical session of the application of ICT to enhance agriculture, health, education among others.
“The intention is that when the participants get back to their base they will apply the knowledge as practically as possible” .
The faculty of the workshop at Calabar includes Dr. Francis Ohanyido, Yunusa Abdulrahman, Paul Nyulaku, and Hanson Johnson.
The workshop had earlier been held in the South-East and North-Central zones.
The next workshop is scheduled to take place in Yola, North-East Zone.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
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