Sir Stanley Amuchie, chief operations and information officer, Fidelity Bank Plc has been named “Outstanding Banker of the Year” for his incisive record of digital transformation in the financial sector.

Sir Stanley Amuchie,

He was crowned at Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Lectures and Awards, held at the weekend in Lagos.

Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Lectures and Awards, is an annual, highly respected event in Nigeria’s technology sector organized by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek.

The awards recognize and celebrate organizations, public authorities, and individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to digital transformation and ICT growth across the continent.

Amuchie bagged “Outstanding Banker of the Year” according to the organizers for being one of Nigeria’s most accomplished and sought-after financial executive and technocrat.

He graduated as a First-Class student in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Benin and holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Beckett University in the UK.

With over two decades of experience, he is currently the executive director/chief operations & Information Fidelity Bank Plc.

Amuchie started  his career at Arthur Andersen, Lagos, Nigeria (now KPMG Professional Services) in September 1995 where he rose to the level of a Senior manager before exiting the organization in February 2000 to work in the banking industry.

He had earlier been the General Manager/Group Zonal Head, Zenith Bank Plc. Prior to this position, he was in Financial Control & Strategic Planning Department of the Bank  from February 2000 to May 2018 where he rose to the rank of Group Chief Financial Officer of the Bank.

In addition to his then responsibilities, he was a Director of Zenith Nominees Limited, a global Custody Subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc.

He was at various times in-charge of the co-ordination of the Group’s Foreign Operations and Real Estate Operations.

Prior to the Bank’s election to operate as a Commercial bank with foreign authorization, he held the following  positions in the subsidiaries of the Bank; Chairman – Zenith Securities Limited; Director – Zenith Trustees Ltd, Director – Zenith Bureau De Change Ltd.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), and an

Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Banker’s of Nigeria (HCIB).

He has attended various local and foreign Leadership courses in institutions like

Insead Business School in France and Harvard Business School in USA. Currently, he is an Executive Director Chief of Operations and Information Fidelity Bank PLC.

He is the Founder/President of The Goodlight Foundation.

Pan-African talent accelerator ALX is expanding its footprint and shifting to a fully self-paced learning model to train and integrate young Africans into the workforce, as the global economy reorganises around artificial intelligence (AI).

Partnering with the MasterCard Foundation, the technology training provider and career accelerator designed to equip African talent, says it enables learners to access tech training for $5 a month.

It emphasises a shift in demographics saying that by 2035, more young Africans will enter the workforce annually.

ALX notes that its model has graduated 347,100 learners, with 63% finding employment within six months. Women represent over half of all graduates. To increase flexibility, the organisation emphasises that learning is now entirely self-paced.

“Learners progress through modular blocks, earning credentials as they go, ensuring that the training fits around their existing responsibilities,” says Shana-Michelle Rabonda, Chief Operating Officer of ALX.

Rabonda adds that global employers are taking notice: “We are building a direct pipeline to the global digital economy. When companies look for elite tech talent, they are looking at Africa.”

Due to this demand, firms such as Absa, Stanbic Bank, MTN, and KPMG now employ between 50 and 180 ALX graduates each. Meanwhile, community entrepreneurs have created over 60,100 jobs through AI startups like Signvrse and Edulga.

With Africa’s AI market projected to grow to $16.5 billion by 2030, ALX operates alongside competitors like Moringa School and GoMyCode to secure mindshare.

“With the right skills and networks, young Africans can seize these opportunities,” Rabonda emphasises. “Africa’s youth should not just be consumers of AI; they should be creators shaping innovations that will define the global economy.”

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the advertisement of a winding-up petition filed against telecommunications service provider, Swift Network Plc, over its alleged inability to settle a debt exceeding N115 million.

The order followed an application filed by Optics and Wireless Limited through its counsel, Bimbo Adebayo-Ogunlaja, urging the court to permit the publication of the winding-up petition instituted against the company.

In the petition, Optics and Wireless Limited alleged that Swift Network Plc is indebted to it in the sum of N115,482,302.88, being the outstanding payment for network devices supplied to the telecommunications firm since April 2024.

The petitioner is also seeking the payment of N70,530,062 as accrued interest arising from a loan facility allegedly obtained to finance the transaction between both parties, as well as general damages for breach of contract.

According to court documents, the dispute arose from a series of transactions carried out between April 2024 and February 2025, during which Swift Network Plc, through its procurement officer, allegedly requested the petitioner to manufacture and supply various network devices based on purchase orders issued by the company.

The petitioner stated that payment for the supplied items was expected either immediately after delivery or within 30 days of supply, but alleged that Swift Network repeatedly failed to honour the agreement despite receiving the products.

Optics and Wireless Limited further claimed that it became apparent after the final order for servers in April 2025 that the respondent was either unwilling or unable to settle the accumulated debt.

The petitioner also informed the court that its solicitors, Messrs Zionla Legal Practitioners & Solicitors, subsequently issued a statutory notice of demand dated December 11, 2025, demanding payment of the outstanding sum and accrued interest.

According to the petitioner, all efforts to recover the debt proved unsuccessful, adding that the situation has exposed the company to serious financial challenges and possible legal action from the bank that allegedly granted it the loan facility used to execute the supply contracts.

Optics and Wireless Limited argued that Swift Network Plc is insolvent and unable to meet its financial obligations, urging the court to wind up the company in line with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act and the Winding-Up Rules.

Among the reliefs sought, the petitioner asked the court to order that Swift Network Plc be wound up by the court and that any voluntary winding-up process involving the company should continue under the supervision of the court.

Justice Lewis Allagoa subsequently adjourned the matter till July 10 for further hearing.