Telecom
Writing Challenge: OnePipe Dangles N3m on Nigerian Journalists (Apply)
OnePipe, a foremost fintech API Company has launched a press writing challenge to recognize finance-focused journalism and reward press reportage.
The prized challenge is part of the company’s efforts to promote and inspire more educational reporting and writing with particular emphasis on enhancing the awareness and understanding of embedded finance.
OnePipe aims to foster a deeper understanding of the importance of embedded finance in improving customer experience and satisfaction; while emphasizing the value of good coverage and narrative as a cornerstone for enhancing public awareness of financial technology.
Yvonne-Faith Elaigwu, operations manager of OnePipe, said the company’s objective with the writing challenge is to promote financial literacy and enhance the financial experiences of people in Nigeria.
“We hope that the articles, stories, and news items produced by the press and media throughout this challenge will help everyone understand embedded finance and appreciate what the technology can achieve.”
Research shows that embedded finance will create $230 billion in income by 2025 across a variety of financial services. As the usage of this technology expands and becomes increasingly incorporated into non-financial platforms, it is critical that increased public awareness and understanding is generated.
“We are committed to supporting organisations to build integrated financial solutions that are suited to the needs of their customers, whilst promoting financial inclusion.
“However, in order to capitalize on the advantages of embedded finance, a thorough grasp of it is required”, Yvonne added.
Commenting on the importance of embedded finance and the services that OnePipe provides, Ope Adeoye, founder and ceo of OnePipe, stated, “The world needs a new type of financial services ecosystem, one where everyone has a role to play and everyone has some value to capture.
“This is what we embody at OnePipe; we help businesses across sectors to enjoy profitable participation in the fintech ecosystem. With our technology, we turn complex infrastructure into simple code so that businesses can focus on building market-defining products, provide their customers with credit, loan payment plans and seamless payment for services”.
The writing challenge will be judged by a panel of an expert in financial inclusion policy and digital money, Professor Olayinka David-West, Associate Dean, Lagos Business School and qualified news editors, Muyiwa Mutuloko, Editor, TechPoint Africa, and, Caleb Ojewale, Assistant Editor, BusinessDay.
The challenge will span a duration of eight weeks, from February 25 to April 14, 2022, with an opportunity for three first-place winners to win one Million Naira each.
Three individuals will each get a 1 Million Naira award in recognition of published reporting that has resulted in information sharing, idea definition, trend analysis, and definition of concepts.
All submitted articles should be 400-500 words in length and must have been published in recognized press media. TV or radio submissions must be at least 20mins long and must have been broadcast on any publicly available site such as YouTube or SoundCloud.
Entries submitted without the required links or references will be disqualified. Entries will be judged based on material organization, vocabulary, style, grammar, punctuation, spelling, neatness, reach and adherence to all other guidelines.
The OnePipe Writing Challenge is open to all forms of media. Submissions are welcome from journalists/press persons (individuals, either full time, part-time or freelance) who are presently employed in a magazine or general circulation newspaper published in Nigeria, whether daily or non-daily, broadcast or tabloid, news wire, internet publication, conventional or alternative, as well as syndicates and cooperatives that provide content for newspapers. Nominations may be made by editors, publishers, educators, journalistic groups and others.
To apply and read more about eligibility and rules, please click here.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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