News
Star Lager Unveils Burna Boy As New Brand Ambassador
National premium beer brand, Star Lager has unveiled Afro-pop sensation Burna Boy as an ambassador for the brand.
The unveiling was made on Sunday, 27th of January during a press event at CIRCA, Lekki. Leading up to the announcement, a series of visual cues were syndicated across social media, generating massive mainstream media attention ahead of the official announcement.
The announcement of Burna Boy as brand ambassador comes after a remarkable year for the music star in 2018, which featured various highlights such as headlining his own sold out concert, as well as being listed as one of only two African acts to perform at the prestigious Coachella Festival.
Over the years Star Lager has been one of the leading brand supporters of Nigerian music, hence the decision to forge this association with Burna Boy further cementing the brand’s position as key players in the Nigerian entertainment scene.
The brand’s effort in the music industry includes hosting one of the first music talent shows in Nigeria, Star Quest.
Following up this landmark achievement, Star also put together some of the biggest music shows Nigeria has ever seen, through its Star Mega Jam and Star Music Trek platforms.
Prior to the unveiling of Burna Boy as Brand Ambassador, Star Lager had previously sponsored the Burna Live concert, in which over 4,000 fans were thrilled by the Afrobeat sensation.
The sponsorship of the Burna live concert was part of a series of A-list musical concerts which Star Lager sponsored during the month of December 2018.
Star Lager is the oldest indigenous beer brand in Nigeria, and its brand messaging seeks to inspire Nigerians to shine on and be aspirational in their ambitions to create a better tomorrow for themselves as individuals, as well as collectively as a people.
This core messaging is expressed by the brand’s essence and is a prevailing theme in Burna’s music.
Born in Port Harcourt on the 2nd of July 1991, Burna Boy whose real name is Damini Ogulu hails from Ahoda local government in Rivers State.
After being heavily influenced by afrobeat as a teenager, Burna launched his musical career in 2010 crafting a unique style inspired by reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat.
His distinct style instantly caught the attention of Nigerian music fans, and soon, the young man from Ahoda had the world listening to his catchy melodies and records.
The last 24 months have seen Burna earn international acclaim for his record-breaking album “Outside”.
He has also collaborated with American Band – Fallout Boys, American electronic dance music group – Major Lazer and British singer – Lilly Allen.
Burna Boy’s success is proof that talents from Africa can achieve global acclaim and international success.
This is an idea that Star Lager shares and the brand will be looking to exploit this theme through its relationship with Burna Boy.
Speaking on the unveiling, Emmanuel Oriakhi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, expressed his delight at bringing on Burna Boy to the brighter side with Star,
“We have always had strong interests in Nigerian music. The talent and the potential for greatness that our music industry possesses is truly immense.
“Burna Boy is, without a doubt, one of the biggest music exports from the shores of West Africa.
“With this new brand association, I believe we have the opportunity to use this relationship to tell the Star story and position Star as the leading brand for the aspirational Nigerian who believes he can take on the world.
“We are excited about this collaboration and we look forward to a very productive 2019 with Burna Boy.”
STAR is Nigeria’s No. 1 beer brand and is the first indigenously brewed beer introduced into the Nigerian market on June 2, 1949.
STAR is largely responsible for the growth of the Nigerian indigenous beer industry as its success story has influenced the introduction of other successful brands.
INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 revealed that Artificial intelligence accounts for 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa and making attacks faster, more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect.
The report warns that the continent’s rapid digital transformation, marked by more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2025, is being matched by an equally rapid evolution in cybercrime, while fragmented legislation and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies continue to weaken responses.
The 40-page assessment, based on survey data from 36 African member countries, said cybercrime has shifted from isolated criminal activity to an industrialised, borderless ecosystem powered by AI.
According to the report, East Africa has become a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure, while business email compromise (BEC) and romance scams are widespread across Central and West Africa.
Southern Africa, it noted, has become an attractive target for international cybercriminals due to its high level of internet connectivity.
The report also highlighted the growing financial impact of cybercrime across the continent, revealing that losses have more than doubled since 2024, rising from 192 million dollars to 484 million dollars.
It attributed the increase largely to AI-enabled scams, credential harvesting and automated social engineering attacks.
INTERPOL said online scams remained the most commonly reported form of cybercrime in 2025, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and AI-generated content to deceive victims.
It added that 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration recorded in Southern and West Africa.
The report further identified digital sextortion and online harassment as persistent threats, driven increasingly by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media.
According to data from TrendAI, one of INTERPOL’s partners, about 600,000 sextortion incidents were detected during the reporting period.
Business email compromise schemes have also become more sophisticated, with AI being used to generate highly convincing email communications.
The report said Africa-based threat actors are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America using cyber infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
INTERPOL warned that the absence of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies has created significant vulnerabilities in tackling financial cybercrime.
It said cybercriminals are no longer relying solely on stolen credentials but are now creating AI-generated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details.
These synthetic identities, the report noted, have been used to bypass biometric verification systems, open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false identities.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, described cybercrime as one of the most significant criminal threats facing Africa.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” he said.
Despite the growing threat, the report highlighted progress in strengthening cybersecurity across the continent.
It disclosed that 17 African countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation in 2025, while Senegal launched an online reporting platform to improve responses to online offences affecting children.
The report also noted that regional capacity-building initiatives are helping to improve long-term cyber resilience.
INTERPOL said four major cybercrime operations conducted in 2025, Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0, resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the recovery of over 100 million dollars.
To address the growing threat, the report recommended the adoption of standardised digital forensic capabilities, stronger cross-border collaboration, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement personnel and formal public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection and response.
The African Cyberthreat Assessment 2026 forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with data contributions from Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
Nigerian students will soon design, assemble, test and fly drones as part of their university education, following a partnership between Miva Open University and Abuja-based defence technology company Terra Industries.
The collaboration comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to develop indigenous capabilities in advanced manufacturing and defence technology, with both organisations seeking to strengthen Africa’s pipeline of deep-tech talent.
The partnership will see students gain hands-on experience in drone engineering and related technologies through dedicated labs and industry collaboration.
The partners will establish robotics, drone and virtual reality laboratories across Miva’s study centres, beginning with a pilot facility in Abuja.
Students will also gain access to industry-led workshops, research opportunities, internships and mentorship in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and autonomous systems.
According to the partners, Terra’s engineering teams will work alongside Miva faculty to integrate hands-on hardware training into academic programmes, exposing students to real-world engineering challenges and building industry experience before graduation.
Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, said Africa’s technological future depends on developing engineers capable of building solutions for local challenges.
“The engineers who will build Africa’s future must learn by building. This partnership creates opportunities for students to work with the technologies shaping modern security, infrastructure and autonomous systems,” said Nwachuku.
Miva Open University said the initiative forms part of its commitment to experiential learning, adding that students will have the opportunity to “design, test and fly drones as part of their academic experience”.
The partnership builds on Terra’s expanding role in Nigeria’s defence technology sector. Earlier this year, the company signed a joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to localise the production of drones, robotics systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, supporting efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
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