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Telcos Rue 3.3m Lines Lost Due to NIN-SIM Link Directive

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Federal government’s directive to stop registration and activation of new Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards in the country might have resulted in the loss of about 3.3 million subscribers to telecom operators in December 2020, according to the Guardian.

Telcos Rue 3.3m Lines Lost Due to NIN-SIM Link Directive

Latest subscription statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for December 2020 showed that active telecoms subscribers fell by 3.3 million.

Specifically, as at November 2020, there were 207.9 million active users, but by the end of the year, the figure dropped to 204.6 million.

This also impacted the nation’s teledensity, which lost 1.74 per cent. It fell from 108.92 per cent to 107.18 by December 2020.

Analysis of operators’ performance of the NCC data showed that Airtel lost more subscribers within the period.

It had 57.2 million subscribers in November 2020, but dropped to 55.6 million and lost 1.5 million active users, followed by MTN, which lost 1.25 million consumers.

It had 82 million subscribers in November, but the figure fell to 80.7 million at the end of 2020.

Globacom lost 249,194 subscribers. It had 55 million users in November 2020, but it dropped to 54.8 million by December, while 9mobile, which had 13.2 million users in November 2020 lost 206,510 subscribers at the end of December 2020.

In spite of the losses, MTN remained the largest operator with 39.5 per cent penetration, followed by Airtel with 27.2 per cent, Globacom retained third position with 26.8 per cent, while 9mobile came fourth with 6.36 per cent market share.

Federal Government directive, which took effect from December 15, 2020, hindered telecom operators from activating new SIM cards and even affected SIM swaps.

Subscribers, who lost their telephone lines during the period were finding it difficult to retrieve their lines, as most users have not registered for their National Identification Number (NIN), while those with NINs were yet to link them with their SIMs.

The statistics further showed that the country lost 563,837 Internet subscriptions as users dropped from 154.4 million in November 2020, to 153.8 million in December, while broadband subscription also fell by 89, 940 from 86 million in November to 85.9 million in December.

NCC’s report on QoS from January to July 2020 showed that 9mobile and Globacom failed to meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in 19 states of the federation, while Airtel failed to meet the KPI in Ogun State, but MTN met its KPIs in all states of the federation.

It indicated that the other telcos failed in Dropped Call Rate, Call Setup Success Rate, Standalone Dedicated Control Channel Congestion Rate and Traffic Control Channel Congestion Rate.

The states with poor telephony services during the period under review are Nassarawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Yobe, Kwara, Kebbi, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Taraba, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Gombe, Osun and Ogun.

Giving insight into the drop in active subscriptions and poor QoS, Olusola Teniola, Nigeria coordinator, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), said the dip showed strong correlation between the SIM registration directive and impact on SIM subscription numbers.

“However, the more relevant and measurable data is the drop in voice due to migration to OTT voice application and waning consumer spending as a contributor,” he said.

Also, Ajibola Olude, executive secretary, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said it was evident that reduction in active subscribers was due to many factors, among which are, the COVID-19 pandemic and directive on linkage of NIN with SIM.

 

 


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Paradigm Initiative Warns of AI-Driven Hate Speech, Urges Global Tech Reform

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As the world commemorates the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) is calling on big tech companies to intensify their efforts in combating online hate speech and ensuring respect for fundamental human rights.

PIN’s 2024 Londa report highlights the widespread prevalence of hate speech online. In Angola, for instance, at least 25 content removal requests were made in connection with hate speech, harassment, and political misinformation. Globally, the consequences of unchecked hate speech have been severe—ranging from incitement to violence and heightened ethnic tensions to the targeting of vulnerable communities, including minorities, women, and foreigners.

Nigeria witnessed a tragic example in 2018 when a Facebook post showing a massacre in Plateau State was viewed more than 11,000 times, triggering ethnic conflict and resulting in fatalities. In South Africa, inadequate content moderation has worsened the problem, while in Ethiopia in 2021, a false Facebook post led to the killing of a man wrongly implicated in a scandal. India saw a surge in hate speech during its elections.

PIN notes that actors behind hate speech are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to boost visibility. Meanwhile, existing moderation systems—especially for non-English content—struggle to keep up.

Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN’s Partnerships and Engagements Officer, said, “Hate speech online is a direct attack on the dignity and safety of individuals.” She urged technology companies to adopt transparent and effective moderation strategies and to prioritize human rights in their operations.

The spread of hate speech raises complex challenges for lawmakers. Governments are trying to regulate harmful content such as misinformation and harassment while protecting freedom of speech. However, PIN warns that hate speech laws should not be misused to arbitrarily detain human rights defenders or stifle dissenting voices.

To address these concerns, PIN recommends that tech companies invest more in moderating non-English content to reflect local nuances, improve transparency around government takedown requests, promote digital literacy—particularly in underserved regions—and conduct regular human rights due diligence, aligned with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.


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Moniepoint Deepens Commitment to Africa’s Future Through Education and Innovation

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Moniepoint Inc, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions partnered with the Mega Impact Foundation to support the 5th edition of the NextGen Connect Interschool Oratory Competition in Asaba, Delta state. This collaboration showcases Moniepoint’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development across the African continent.

The competition, which was held commemoratively to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Boy Child, brought together SS2 students from across Delta State to address the critical theme: “The Role of Financial Inclusion and Technology in Shaping a Brighter Future for Young People in Africa.” Moniepont has received critical acclaim over its core mission of advancing financial inclusion through innovative digital financial technology solutions and payment services..

The oratory competition showcased exceptional talent among Nigeria’s youth, with Otovo Praise of Crystalloid International School emerging as the champion. His outstanding performance earned him a full-year scholarship through the Tosin Eniolorunda STEM Foundation, reflecting Moniepoint’s philosophy of investing in educational excellence. Second-place winner Audi Innocent of St Patrick’s College received ₦300,000, while third-place winner, Asher David of Glorious Kids Academy was awarded ₦200,000.

“At Moniepoint, we believe that driving sustainable innovation begins with future-proofing and expanding the talent pool by empowering the next generation with the tools that they need to succeed especially basic literacy skills which remain fundamental pillars in socio-economic development,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO Moniepoint Inc.  “These young voices represent the future of African leadership, and their insights into financial inclusion and technology demonstrate the remarkable potential that exists within our communities. Through our various educational and developmental initiatives such as the CAD/CAM lab we donated to OAU last year or the Moniepoint DreamDevs programme, we are betting big on an investment in Africa’s future.”

The initiative extends beyond monetary rewards, creating meaningful platforms for young people to express their ideas on a global stage. Through its support of the NextGen Connect Conference and Tech-In-School conversations, Moniepoint is fostering an environment where youth can develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and engage with pressing societal issues.

In her remarks, Founder, Mega Impact Foundation, Florence Ogonegbu said that “we reaffirm our commitment to building an Africa where every young person has simplified access to sustainable education, capacity building, and empowerment. By leveraging technology and local initiatives, we are creating platforms that enable our youth to thrive and transform their communities.

“Together with partners like Moniepoint, we are not just shaping futures—we are driving a movement for social development that will resonate globally. Every boy, every young person, deserves the opportunity to unlock their full potential and drive lasting impact across our continent.”

The competition received additional support from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Delta State, highlighting the collaborative approach required to nurture young talent effectively.


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Zoho Unveils Zia Hubs to Harness AI Insights from Unstructured Business Data

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Zoho, a global technology company, today launched Zia Hubs, a solution within Zoho WorkDrive that brings new forms of unstructured business data into the company’s broad portfolio of applications and AI services. Using Zia Hubs, organisations can now present any type of business content to Zoho’s powerful capabilities and services—including agentic AI, comprehensive analysis, and accurate, unified search—regardless of file format or structure.

“According to IDC, 80 percent of business data is unstructured,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head, Zoho Nigeria. “Most unstructured data is text-based, meaning pertinent information lives within email conversations, social media posts, word processor documents, or audio and video transcripts. With Zia Hubs built into the full product suite, Zoho can provide customers with a deeper integration than any comparable software platform and nearly limitless potential uses for their data.”

Deeper Intelligence Accessing More Customer Data

Launching as part of Zoho WorkDrive, Zia Hubs brings content intelligence to the company’s unified content management and collaboration platform. Designed with a high level of user control over what content AI is allowed to access, Zia Hubs enables users to organise project or task-specific content into dedicated hubs within WorkDrive. Each hub serves as a focused space where Zia, Zoho’s flagship AI, can understand and act on the content stored within. This includes a wide range of formats such as PDFs, documents, videos, and audio files.

Zia Hubs automatically organises uploaded content by grouping related information—such as section headings, supporting text, and visuals—to preserve context. For video and audio files, Zia generates transcripts and links key moments to relevant topics, making it easier to pinpoint exactly where something was said.

With Zia Hubs, users can surface the most relevant answers when asked a question, even across different content formats. Each response includes clear citations that link back to the original content, whether it is a document, spreadsheet, image, or a specific moment in an audio or video file.

Organisations can also create custom workflows with Zoho Flow, automating document storage processes for particular projects or specific teams. This ensures that Zia always has access to the latest necessary documents automatically.

Furthermore, content from third-party software—such as Docusign PDFs, RingCentral call logs, Zoom video files—are all readable by Zia, and can be automatically placed into a hub by building a workflow with Zoho Flow.

From Intelligent Content to Intelligent Action with Zia

Zia Hubs is a foundational element of Zoho’s long-term AI strategy. It lays the groundwork for a future where intelligent agents can act contextually on content across the company’s entire product suite. With full ownership of its technology stack spanning more than 55 products, Zoho is uniquely positioned to help organisations unlock deeper value from their business content compared to competitors.

Potential use cases for Zia Hubs include: a legal team’s content hub hosting a case’s relevant files: court files, correspondence, and research, allowing a lawyer to have Zia provide summaries with citations without having to manually scan lengthy files to gain insights; a company’s support center placing call logs into a hub, then querying Zia to identify trends, like, “Have we received an increase in calls regarding specific issues?”

Future updates to Zia Hubs will enable it to identify structured information within unstructured files and trigger specialised agents tailored to specific business needs. This will further establish Zia Hubs as the central content intelligence layer that activates AI-native workflows across the full Zoho ecosystem.


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