Telecom
NUJ Commends Airtel for Supporting Media Professionals
The leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Chapter, has commended leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, for supporting the media and journalists in Nigeria in the discharge of their responsibilities as the 4th Estate of the Realm.
According to the organization, Airtel has demonstrated its commitment to supporting platforms and initiatives geared towards promoting and upholding professional and ethical standards in the journalism profession in Nigeria through the partnership with Lagos NUJ.
This statement was made during a media briefing held on Friday, October 15 at LTV Ikeja, Lagos to officially announce the Lagos NUJ 2021 Press Week, which is set to commence on Monday, October 18th, 2021.
In his keynote address, Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Lagos State Chapter, Adeleye Ajayi, thanked Airtel for the partnership and fine gesture, noting that the telco is renowned for its support for altruistic initiatives through its corporate partnerships and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
According to him, the support from the telecommunications giant is one that is worthy of emulation by other well-meaning private entities.
Adeleye went on to state that the activities of the week will be aimed at brainstorming on crucial issues of national interest as well as fostering camaraderie among council members of the organization.
Felicitating with members and the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, Corporate Communications & CSR Director, Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Oparah, who was represented by Head of Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Erhumu Bayagbon, lauded the Lagos NUJ for creating a strong platform and rallying point for journalists to reflect on their important role of gate keeping and nation building as well as celebrating exemplary and outstanding professionals in their fold. .
“Airtel is delighted to be part of this occasion and we are glad to be associated with Nigerian journalists as we believe journalists play an important role in empowering citizens and building a better society. We felicitate with the Lagos NUJ and we wish its leadership and members the very best as they reflect on their role in society and seek innovative solutions to keeping the society informed,” he said.
The 2021 Press Week is scheduled to hold from Monday, October 18 to Sunday, October 24, 2021 and will include several activities, including a health walk, novelty football match, public lecture, among others.
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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