Author: ITPulse

By Martin Ekpeke The Federal Government has signaled a high-stakes regulatory showdown following the announcement of MTN Group’s $6.2 billion bid to take full control of IHS Towers. In an official statement released on Tuesday, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy Dr. Bosun Tijani announced that the government will conduct a thorough assessment of the deal to safeguard the nation’s digital economy. The move marks a potential turning point for Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape, as the government weighs the benefits of sector stability against the risks of market consolidation. The proposed acquisition would see MTN, Nigeria’s largest mobile operator, buy…

In Shenzhen, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading technology and manufacturing hubs, Nigerian technology expert Francis Okafor is gaining recognition for his contributions to artificial intelligence and advanced engineering within China’s innovation ecosystem. Okafor, who hails from Anambra State, has been based in China for eight years. “I’m based in China, and I’ve been here for about eight years now,” he said. “What I do full-time is tech, real, deep tech.” He currently serves as a Tech Lead at IDEMIA, a multinational company known for its work in identity security, biometrics, cryptography, secure financial systems, and expanding interests…

LG Electronics has announced a nationwide campaign to celebrate decades of customer loyalty and technological heritage by searching for the oldest functioning LG television sets in Nigeria. The initiative, themed “The Oldest LG TV,” honors long-time customers whose screens have stood the test of time. In a bridge between nostalgia and innovation, LG is inviting these loyal users to trade their legacy devices for the future of home entertainment: the advanced LG AI QNED TV. For generations, LG televisions have been more than just electronic devices; they have served as silent witnesses to family milestones and cultural moments in Nigerian…

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,…