Telecom
Stakeholders to Brainstorm on Implementation of CNII Bill & Sustainability @ALTON/NITRA Forum
As the telecom industry grapples with the challenge of how to secure its infrastructure and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected, following the recent Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) status granted it by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) has called for an all-stakeholder approach.
NITRA, the umbrella Association for technology reporters in Nigeria, in a statement announcing a joint-industry forum, being organized in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), noted that mere declaration of the CNII order cannot solely guarantee infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators, further disclosed that the forum will bring stakeholders together to address pertinent issues and questions begging for answers.
Scheduled to hold at CitiHeight Hotel, Ikeja on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the event, tagged “Industry Sustainability And CNII Conference 2025 – Way Forward” will gather stakeholders to discuss the practical way forward, noting that passage of the Bill along will not achieve desired results.
According to the organisers, questions that stakeholders will provide answers to at the event include:
Ø How do we ensure that this law is implemented to the letter?
Ø Are there areas worth looking into once more, or is the Bill perfect as it is?
Ø What are the roles of each stakeholder in the industry – Federal, States, Operators, Consumers, and other actors?
Ø Are individual telecom companies and service providers keying into the CNNI provisions, and how?
Ø What are the roles of regulators in ensuring public compliance to the Bill?
Ø How do we ensure security?
Ø What is the place of collaboration?
Ø Publicity: how much of the CNII provisions are the public aware of?
Ø How can we sustain the growth and development of telecommunications in Nigeria?
The Panel Discussion sessions will look into some of the questions arising from industry sustainability and CNII implementation.
Expected at the event are the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, network operators, security agencies, regulators, the media, infrastructure companies and decision makers in private and public firms, among other guests.
According to a statement from NITRA, “It is a known fact that the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is crucial to the survivability of a nation, and that the destruction or disruption of these systems and communication networks would significantly affect the economic strength, image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety.”
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, had in a forum stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and tech-upgraded installation to prevent vandalism and theft.
He highlighted the widespread issue of stolen manhole covers, fibre cables and poles; community resistance to infrastructure projects; unauthorised installation of infrastructure without government approval; malicious destruction of telecom infrastructure; among other challenges to be curbed.
Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, spoke of the importance of the Industry Sustainability and CNII Conference, noting that industry stakeholders need to come around a table to broker an understanding on how to secure telecom infrastructure, standing on FG’s proclamation of CNII.
He noted that with the CNII Bill in place, stakeholders will have to formulate measures to take to implement the provisions of the Bill and enforce compliance. These he disclosed, will be the outcome of the forum to be held in Lagos.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum, which will have other industry Associations also make their inputs, will afford the public opportunity to share their thoughts, especially as it regards the security of infrastructure in their localities.
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.
Police Says Victims Enable Cyber Attacks Out of Ignorance
Bank Accuses Magistrate, Lawyer of Using Fake Order to Steal N3.5m from Account
FG Launches NERD to Combat Certificate Fraud
NCDC Issues Public Advisory on Cerebrospinal Meningitis
Goodnews Naija Launches ‘Building in Nigeria’ Series on Entrepreneurs, Real Sector Builders
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh Foundation Bolsters Nigeria’s Education Drive with ₦2.7m Student Support
Kaspersky Brings more Transparency to Threat Detection with New Hunt Hub
PwC Reveals AI Scaling Gap Slows Africa’s Digital Transformation
Kaspersky Discovers New Phishing Campaign Exploiting Google Tasks Notifications to Steal Corporate Credentials
esentry 2025 Report Shows Healthcare, Financial Services and Telecoms as Staging Grounds for Increased Cyberattacks in Africa
General News2 days agoFCCPC Bans Lagos ‘No Refund’ Policy, Vows Fines and Shutdowns for Traders
E-Financial2 days agoSenate Targets Fintech Overreach, Vows Ponzi Crackdown After ₦1.3trn CBEX Scam
E-Business1 day agoPolice Says Victims Enable Cyber Attacks Out of Ignorance
Telecom2 days agoGoogle Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians
E-Financial1 day agoQuest Merchant Bank Achieves CBN Regulatory Recapitalisation Milestone
E-Financial2 days agoSmartCash Launches ‘No Be Cho Cho Cho’ Campaign to Boost Digital Banking in Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role
Telecom2 days agoNativeID Launches Free Digital Identity Platform to Shield Nigerian SMEs from Scammers