Telecom
UN, ITU Tap into AI Tech to Improve Road Safety Globally
The United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven road safety initiative, targeting low- and middle-income countries.
The organisations say there is a need to step up the use and development of AI capabilities in keeping roads safe, and the new initiative aims to strengthen global AI efforts across the public and private sectors to improve safety for all road users.
The initiative is part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and wants to halve the annual rate of road deaths globally by 2030.
As such, the UN and ITU say, faster progress on AI will be vital to make this happen, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the most lives are lost on the roads each year.
“The disproportionate toll of road deaths on developing countries is yet another example of why the benefits of new technologies must reach everyone, everywhere,” says ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao. “This is the highest priority of the AI for good movement and the main guiding light to our new AI for road safety initiative.”
ITU says its contribution to the project will build on established ITU standardisation work for intelligent transport systems, ranging from radio communications and automotive cyber security, to vehicular multimedia and the performance of communications involving vehicles.
The initiative is a collaboration between the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for road safety and envoy on technology offices and ITU.
UN secretary-general António Guterres pronounced last year in his Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, on the need to use AI and other tech solutions to drive sustainable development.
Jean Todt, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for road safety, says: “There is an untapped opportunity to harness AI to close the digital and road safety divide around the world. I look forward to working with private, public and UN partners to bring life-saving tools to those who need it most.”
Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, assistant secretary-general and head of the office of the UN secretary-general’s envoy on technology, says AI is crucial to realise this “bold vision of the digital future that the world needs”.
“This initiative is a noteworthy effort to focus on practical, real-world technology issues that concretely affect peoples’ lives.”
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.
MultiChoice is closing its continental streaming platform Showmax after 11 years, notifying subscribers Thursday of the board’s decision to discontinue the service in the near future to refocus on sustainable digital offerings.
MultiChoice
The email assured no immediate disruption: “You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time.” Showmax, launched in South Africa in 2015 and expanded across Africa, offered movies, series, documentaries, and sports to rival Netflix and others amid rising online entertainment demand.
The shutdown follows Canal+’s approved takeover of MultiChoice last year, with the French giant offering ZAR 125 per share for remaining stakes.
The deal mandates HDP ownership boosts, local content investment, and splitting MultiChoice’s SA broadcasting arm into an independent entity to meet regulations.
MultiChoice prioritised subscribers during the transition, promising advance notice on timelines.
Showmax’s exit signals consolidation pressures in Africa’s cut-throat streaming market, where global players dominate despite local content strengths.
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