Author: ITPulse

A new report by the GSMA, titled ‘The Mobile Economy 2026,’ projects a significant leap in Africa’s digital landscape, with 5G connections expected to reach 21% of total subscribers by 2030. According to the report, this represents a steady climb from the approximately 12% recorded in 2025, equating to roughly 382 million connected users across the continent. The report noted that the surge is being driven by a combination of rising smartphone adoption, strategic infrastructure investment, and the rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by telecommunications operators. One of the primary barriers to high-speed connectivity in Africa has historically been…

By Martin Ekpeke The escalating geopolitical instability between the U.S., Israel, and Iran should serve as a definitive wake-up call for Africa to build its own digital infrastructure and end its overreliance on foreign technology, Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, CEO of Unicloud Africa, has said. Speaking on Channels TV’s Business Morning, Dr. Krishnan argued that as global investment flows are disrupted by war, Africa has a rare opportunity to reroute capital into the continent to build sovereign assets such as local data centers and cloud environments that ensure digital independence. Africa currently faces a massive infrastructure gap, a situation he describes…

The most dangerous moment in any industry is when everyone agrees it is working. Not because it is not, but because the conviction that the hard part is over is precisely when the hard part begins. Nigeria’s crypto adoption numbers are real. The volumes and use cases are also real. Something genuinely significant has been built here, largely by ordinary people solving ordinary problems with extraordinary resourcefulness. However, adoption is not the same as permanence. A market can be booming and simultaneously one shock away from cracking. Nigeria has demonstrated, beyond any reasonable doubt, that demand for crypto is real…

Betting big on its storytellers and innovators, the Nigerian government has unveiled a comprehensive digital suite designed to transform the nation’s creative sector into a global economic powerhouse. Through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the initiative aims to bridge the gap between artistic talent and high-tech infrastructure. The goal is ambitious: to push the industry’s valuation from its current $9 billion to over $13 billion, cementing the creative arts as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic diversification. Speaking at Moment 2026, Africa’s largest convergence of creators, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa emphasized that the agency is no longer viewing…

By Epiphanus Obia A new CBN directive binding mobile banking apps to a single device has drawn concern from fintech analysts and market traders — particularly in the South-East, where multi-device commerce is a way of life. At the Onitsha Main Market, the largest inland trading hub in West Africa, a cloth merchant named Chidinma operates three phones. One carries her UBA mobile app, linked to the account where she receives bulk payments from Lagos wholesalers. The second holds her OPay, Palmpay and Kuda wallets for small, daily market transactions. The third is a backup phone basically for calls and…

In a move aimed at making air travel more accessible amidst rising costs, the Federal Government has decided to officially launch a national “Fly Now, Pay Later” scheme for domestic travelers. The initiative, spearheaded by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP), marks a significant step in the government’s push to integrate consumer credit into the daily lives of Nigerians. By allowing citizens to spread the cost of airfare over several months, the government aims to cushion the effect of the high cost of living on the middle class and business travelers. In a statement, CREDICORP said the programme is designed…

By Epiphanus Obia The Federal Government’s announcement on Tuesday, March 17, of launching a “Fly Now, Pay Later” scheme for domestic air travel has made headlines, and sparked the debate about whether the government is solving the right problem. The news has shone light on a revolution that has been building for years and is now reshaping how millions of Nigerians access everything from their smartphones to their electricity, their education, and now their airline seats. Nigeria is in the middle of a Buy Now, Pay Later revolution. And most people have not noticed because it does not look like…

By Epiphanus Obia Angela Lipps was babysitting four children at her home in Tennessee last July when federal marshals arrived at her door with guns and arrested her. The 50-year-old grandmother who had never been arrested in her life, was handcuffed and charged with bank fraud that happened in North Dakota, a state she had never visited before. The evidence against her was a single identification made by an artificial intelligence facial recognition system. The Fargo Police Department, which operated the system, made no further attempts to verify the match before authorising her arrest. Lipps spent nearly six months in…

As the digital landscape in West Africa undergoes a rapid transformation, Olumide Balogun, Director at Google West Africa, has outlined how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally rewriting the rules of commerce and consumer curiosity in Nigeria. According to Balogun, Nigerians are natural explorers, whether they are navigating the stalls of Balogun Market or hunting for the best travel deals out of Lagos. However, he notes that the way this curiosity is expressed is evolving from simple typing to speaking, snapping photos, and asking complex, conversational questions. To help local business owners stay visible, Balogun highlighted four key shifts driven by…

Payments Forum Nigeria (PAFON), Nigeria’s premier platform for digital finance stakeholders, has officially announced the third edition of its flagship event, PAFON 3.0. The high-level gathering is scheduled for Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. It will bring together the brightest minds in banking, fintech, and regulation to navigate the rapidly evolving financial landscape. Under a central theme of exploring emerging trends, PAFON 3.0 will unite over 600 industry professionals and more than 20 expert speakers. The forum serves as a critical junction for banks, fintechs, telcos, and policymakers to collaborate on the future of digital payments,…