Author: ITPulse

Thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Nigeria and the broader African continent are set to gain critical AI and digital skills designed to expand their businesses and facilitate continent-wide trade. Google and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat have jointly launched the ‘AfCFTA Digital Inclusion & Entrepreneurship Programme,’ a new, free training initiative powered by the established Google Hustle Academy. Since small businesses are the backbone of Africa’s economy, generating nearly 80% of jobs across the continent, this programme is designed to close the digital skills gap. It will equip entrepreneurs with AI-powered solutions and localized…

The focus on local internet traffic exchange, where data is swapped domestically rather than routed abroad, is a strategic necessity for Nigeria’s digital economy, Muhammed Rudman, Managing Director of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), has said. Speaking at the AfriTECH 5.0 Forum in Lagos last week, Rudman described strengthening this local ecosystem as a national imperative for achieving speed, security, and digital economic expansion. He disclosed that Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) facilitate this local exchange, offering several major advantages for users, businesses, and the national economy: The most significant user benefit of local traffic exchange is dramatically reduced…

Every November, Nigerians look forward to one of the biggest shopping moments of the year — Konga Yakata, one of the country’s most anticipated Black Friday sales. This year feels different. From all indications, Konga Yakata 2025 is not just another discount season; it’s a full-blown shopping festival redefining what value, convenience, and excitement mean in online shopping. Running from November 1st to 30th, Konga has once again lived up to its promise of delivering mouthwatering deals, exclusive brand partnerships, and unbeatable offers across every major product category. But what truly sets this year’s Yakata apart isn’t just the price…

PalmPay, Nigeria’s leading digital banking platform, has once again demonstrated its leadership in driving the nation’s payment revolution. In a landmark development for Nigeria’s digital economy, PalmPay, in collaboration with Wema Bank, completed the first live transaction on the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS) National Payment Stack (NPS), a next-generation infrastructure designed to redefine how money moves across the country. The first live transaction, which happened at exactly 11:56 am on Friday, November 7, 2025, marks a new era in Nigeria’s financial innovation journey and reinforces PalmPay’s role as a trusted pioneer in the payment ecosystem. This achievement rides on…

The Interswitch TechConnect 5.0 series successfully concluded in Lagos, culminating a multi-city journey dedicated entirely to strengthening collaboration across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. Hosted by Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, the grand finale served as a powerful platform where regulators, financial institutions, fintech innovators, and technology leaders convened to collectively advance conversations on shared purpose, innovation, and compliance. The Lagos edition, held at the Federal Palace Hotel, embodied its theme: “United Frontiers: Growth Powered by Innovation, Collaboration and Compliance.” This event reinforced Interswitch’s unwavering commitment to fostering synergy and establishing foundational partnerships among all ecosystem…

Global industrial software leader AVEVA is setting a new standard for the industrial digital twin by converging all critical engineering and operations data onto its CONNECT industrial intelligence platform. These significant portfolio enhancements, unveiled at Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit, aim to create a fully integrated, scalable edge-to-cloud digital twin solution. AVEVA introduced major updates to its industrial digital twin offering. Enhancements to AVEVA Asset Information Management and the AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure enable the visualization of trusted engineering documentation alongside real-time operational data in a single, flexible user interface on the CONNECT platform. By unifying data in the cloud, AVEVA…

The Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SiBAN) is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Vontech, an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, to advance blockchain innovation and capacity building across Nigeria’s digital economy. Through this collaboration, blockchain startups and developers in Nigeria will gain access to $100,000 in AWS Cloud credits, empowering them to build, scale, and optimize solutions that leverage cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence. This partnership represents a significant milestone in SiBAN’s mission to create an enabling environment for blockchain adoption, regulatory engagement, and sustainable innovation within the country. By connecting local builders with global technology resources,…

Nigeria has officially launched the Nigeria Talent Accelerator Network, a significant initiative aimed at strengthening the nation’s workforce capabilities, tackling critical productivity gaps, and preparing its workforce for the future of work. The initiative is part of the World Economic Forum’s Reskilling Revolution in Nigeria, marking the nation’s entry into the Global Accelerators Network. The Reskilling Revolution is a global effort aimed at providing better education, skills, and economic opportunities to one billion people by 2030. The Nigerian effort is co-chaired by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Education, and coordinated by the…

Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and globally competitive digital economy. He highlighted that the goal is to fully leverage the digital economy to transform every sector of Nigerian life. Speaking at the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025, Dr. Tijani called the gathering a critical platform for “dialogue, collaboration, and actionable strategies” to shape the nation’s digital future. He took the audience through a historical reflection, noting that the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry in 1999 was the foundational, transformative decision. This shift,…

Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), emphasized that Nigerian youth hold the key to Africa’s digital transformation. He underscored that NITDA’s strategic focus is to actively “skill the youth” and provide concrete platforms for them to create value, thereby unlocking the nation’s potential for unprecedented prosperity. Speaking at the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025, DG Inuwa reiterated the urgency of empowering Nigeria’s huge youth population (average age 18): “If we fail to skill our youth, if we fail to provide a platform for them to create value, we are stunting the…