Author: ITPulse

Interswitch has officially released its State of UX in Financial Apps: Nigeria Report 2025. This data-driven study provides a comprehensive examination of how Nigerians engage with digital banking, revealing that while technology is evolving, user expectations are rising even more rapidly. The report, which surveyed hundreds of users and analyzed leading platforms, found that basic functionality, such as making transfers, is no longer enough to satisfy the market, even as users prioritize the emotional and practical flow of their financial lives. Key areas where users are demanding better performance include speed and reliability, clarity and transparency and human-centric design The…

By Martin Ekpeke Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem is, by almost any metric, a global powerhouse. From the high-rise offices of Victoria Island, developers are deploying AI-driven credit scoring and real-time payment rails that would make Silicon Valley blush. Yet, a few hundred kilometers away in the rural heartlands of the North and the Middle Belt, a financial inclusion paradox is playing out. The technology to bank the unbanked exists, but it is currently being suffocated by the very thing meant to protect it: Regulation. Consider the story of AgriLend, a burgeoning Lagos-based startup with a mission to provide microloans to smallholder…

​The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has officially opened a full-scale investigation into the data processing activities of global e-commerce powerhouse, Temu. ​The directive, issued by the National Commissioner and CEO of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, comes amid mounting concerns regarding the platform’s compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection (NDP) Act. ​The probe was triggered by several red flags related to how the platform handles the personal information of its rapidly growing Nigerian user base. Key areas of concern identified by the Commission include online surveillance, data minimisation, cross-border transfers and accountability & transparency. ​Preliminary findings by the NDPC…

By Martin Ekpeke In a world where billionaire milestones are typically marked by champagne towers, private islands, and headlines detailing the guest list, Leo Stan Ekeh is doing something disruptively different. As the Chairman of Zinox Group and Africa’s foremost tech icon prepares to turn 70 on February 22, the mega-party many expected is nowhere to be found. Instead, Ekeh has committed to a spiritual mandate that looks less like a celebration and more like a revolution: a multi-billion-naira investment to put 1,000 indigent Nigerian wiz-kids through university to study Computer Science. To understand why a man at the pinnacle…

Youth-driven innovation aimed at confronting Nigeria’s deepening food insecurity and climate pressures took centre stage on Friday as the Greenlabs Incubation Programme unveiled breakthrough solutions at its Cohort 2 “Powering Food Systems” Demo Day. Powered by the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) in partnership with Jacobs Ladder Africa (JLA), the initiative is positioning young innovators at the forefront of efforts to rebuild fragile food value chains, reduce post-harvest losses and deploy renewable energy across agricultural systems nationwide. Launched on January 22, 2026, the Greenlabs Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge attracted applications from across the country. Following an intensive mentor-guided…

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has successfully extended high-speed broadband connectivity to 13 underserved institutions and communities across Nigeria. This 2025 milestone marks a pivotal shift in the agency’s strategy: moving beyond commercial hubs to ensure the “digital backbone” supports the nation’s most critical, yet often overlooked, sectors. GBB’s deployment was not random. The agency targeted institutions with high productivity potential but low commercial readiness, effectively “subsidizing” the digital future of public administration and education. The expansion includes: 3 Federal Universities: Empowering the next generation of researchers and students. 8 Federal Secretariats: Modernizing the engine of civil service through paperless administration.…

In a high-stakes move to domesticate frontier technologies, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Wigwe University have initiated a strategic alliance. The partnership aims to pivot Nigeria from a passive consumer of foreign technology to a global leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Smart Agriculture. Wigwe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marwan Al-Akaidi, is championing a shift toward technological sovereignty. Drawing on his experience establishing AI centers in Abu Dhabi and the UK, Al-Akaidi emphasized that the university’s goal is not merely to use foreign tools, but to engineer them locally. “We aim to create the Nigerian AI—a locally driven,…

In a strategic move to fortify Nigeria’s digital economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is exploring a deep-tier partnership with NASDAQ-listed Trust Stamp. The collaboration aims to move beyond basic identification, deploying cutting-edge “privacy-first” technologies to secure the nation’s $1 trillion economic ambition. Trust Stamp is bringing a sophisticated toolkit to Nigeria designed to solve the “trust deficit” in digital transactions. Central to this is their Biometric Tokenization technology, which converts sensitive data into secure, privacy-preserving representations. “Our technology supports secure verification, fraud prevention, and financial inclusion initiatives,” explained Jonathan Pasha, Vice President of Trust Stamp. “It is…

Following a landmark 21-year career in institutional finance, Rashidat Adebisi, the former Executive Director at AXA Mansard, has officially launched “The Re-Architecture Project.” This strategic pivot aims to align Nigeria’s insurance and financial infrastructure with the federal government’s ambitious $1 trillion economy goal, positioning the sector as a critical driver of macro-economic stability. As Nigeria navigates the complexities of the Nigeria Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA 2025), Adebisi identifies this moment as a “watershed” for the industry. She argues that the path to a trillion-dollar economy requires more than just capital, it demands a total re-architecture of how financial systems…

By Martin Ekpeke Global lifestyle and wellness company QNET today held a strategic media webinar titled “Setting the Narrative for the Year Ahead,” where selected Nigerian journalists were engaged in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the company’s 2026 roadmap. Following a successful 2025, QNET leveraged the webinar to detail its mission to blend cutting-edge wellness technology with sustainable entrepreneurship, while doubling down on its commitment to regulatory compliance and media transparency in the Nigerian market. The webinar also served as both a reflection on past achievements and a blueprint for future growth. Company executives highlighted that 2026 will be defined by…