Telecom
Nigeria Computer Society honors Zinox Group with IT company of the Year 2021
Zinox Technologies Ltd, leading integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) giant, has been crowned the pioneer 2021 Technology Company of the Year by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), the umbrella organization of all Information Technology professionals, interest groups and stakeholders in Nigeria.
Zinox was accorded the award at the National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA) held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
The well-organized event had the crème of personalities in the Nigerian tech sector in attendance, including the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat who represented the Lagos State Governor at the event. The Deputy Governor was also honored with the Fellowship of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).
Notably, the Technology Company of the Year award marks another addition to a long list of local and international honours and recognitions received by Zinox in its two decades of exceptional leadership and disruptive dominance in the ICT ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Interestingly, the latest award comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the company.
Zinox turned 20 on October 10, 2021.
On hand to pick up the award was Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, who was physically present at the event.
Speaking at the well-attended event, NCS President, Prof. Adesina Simon Sodiya, hailed Zinox as a force to be reckoned with in the global ICT space, even as he described the company as a leader in the Nigerian tech space and a fitting winner of the pioneer Technology Company of the Year at the NITMA awards.
Furthermore, the University don, who doubles as the Head, Information Security and Intelligent Computing Group, Department of Computer Science, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State noted that the landmark strides recorded by Zinox in the technology space since inception has served to inspire many other entrepreneurs.
In his acceptance speech while receiving the award, Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Group, commended the organizers of the event for a well-orchestrated event.
Additionally, he expressed gratitude to the NCS, which he described as his professional constituency and the planning committee of the NITMA awards for nominating Zinox for the much-coveted Technology Company of the Year award.
Also, Ekeh thanked the members of the NCS for voting for the company and considering it a worthy winner of the award.
‘‘On behalf of the Zinox Group, I am grateful to the members of the NCS and the organizers of the NITMA awards for this award.
“This recognition is another prestigious one which will serve to further energize the management of the company in its task of putting Nigeria on the global technology map,’’ he stated.
The event also witnessed the award of professional and honorary fellowship conferment on a few deserving awardees, as well as the launch of the NCS Innovation and Development Fund.
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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