Author: ITPulse

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has challenged the global technology community to build an AI future that represents local realities and gives people the power to create value, rather than turning them into passive consumers of technology. Speaking at a high-level global dialogue at the United Nations General Assembly on technology, innovation and inclusive development, Inuwa said the next phase of AI must move beyond access to focus on representation, agency and digital sovereignty. “Inclusive AI requires representation and access and access must mean agency, not just consumption.” His intervention came as global…

By Abigail Mbah The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has eased a long-standing restriction, allowing candidates who have lost access to the phone number or email linked to their registration to update those details, but only once. The board announced the change on its official X account on Monday, describing it as a secure, controlled process available strictly for genuine cases. Every request will go through identity checks and biometric verification and must be handled at designated Computer-Based Test centres. Previously, the phone number and email provided during JAMB registration were treated as permanent identifiers. Candidates were repeatedly warned…

By Abigail Mbah Nigeria is set to roll out a nationwide system that will make every mobile phone traceable through its unique IMEI number, as the Nigerian Communications Commission tightens control over devices connecting to the country’s networks. Under the Device Management System, or DMS, SIM-enabled phones and other communications devices must be registered before they can be sold or activated on any network. Licensed importers will need to secure type approval from the NCC, upload the IMEI numbers along with purchase invoices to a central portal, pay a validation fee, and obtain a pre-authorisation code. That code will then…

Ecobank has rolled out access for retail and institutional investors looking to purchase shares in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which kicked off on September 14, 2026 and will run through October 13, 2026. Leveraging its footprint spanning 33 African countries—alongside international offices in London, Paris, Beijing, and Dubai—Ecobank is utilizing its digital platforms and branch network to channel investments. This initiative reinforces the bank’s strategy of linking investors to major capital opportunities throughout the continent. In Nigeria, customers and non-customers can subscribe through the Ecobank Mobile App, Internet Banking, Ecobank website and any Ecobank branch nationwide. The offer provides investors…

By Abigail Mbah With more than 10 years powering enterprise communication for organizations like MultiChoice, Cybervilla, Opay, and Pizza Hut, NativeTalk now brings that same enterprise-grade reliability to small and medium businesses through a single, all-in-one app. NativeTalk today announced the launch of the NativeTalk Business App, an all-in-one business communication platform designed to help African SMEs manage every customer conversation from a single, intelligent workspace. This is not a new company entering an unfamiliar market. For more than a decade, NativeTalk has provided enterprise communication infrastructure to some of the continent’s largest organizations, currently supporting over 10,000 agents and…

By Abigail Mbah Nigeria’s biggest IPO is underway, and some of the country’s top investment apps have decided that collecting fees from customers is not the smartest play right now. Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals opened its ₦2.15 trillion public offer on September 14. The company is selling 4.1 billion ordinary shares at a fixed price of ₦525 each, with the window scheduled to close on October 13. The minimum buy is deliberately low, just 10 shares, or ₦5,250. In a clear bid to pull in everyday retail investors alongside institutions. On paper, this should be a lucrative moment for…

By Abigail Mbah Nigerians woke up this week to a wave of unsolicited text messages claiming they had committed traffic offences under the Federal Road Safety Corps. The messages, often appearing under the name “Traffic” or simply labelled as FRSC alerts, warned of new road traffic offence records and urged recipients to click a link to review the details and settle the fine. Several people followed those links. What looked like a routine payment for a few thousand naira quickly turned into much larger losses from their bank accounts. Comedian MC Monica, whose real name is Edeh Sylvester Chisom, shared…

By Winston Osuchukwu A missed loan payment is rarely the first sign of trouble. The warning signs of financial distress usually appear weeks or months before a borrower actually defaults. The challenge for traditional financial institutions is not a lack of borrower data, but rather, their existing credit infrastructure is not built to analyse continuous data flows. Most legacy decisioning engines are built for rule-based origination – highly effective at checking fixed criteria to approve a loan on Day One, but blind to the subtle, daily cash movements that signal distress. Consequently, traditional banks only react when a payment is…

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the registry responsible for the management of Nigeria’s country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD), .ng, has announced the opening of nominations for the 9th edition of the .ng Awards. The 15-day nomination period runs from 14 September to 28 September 2026, giving members of the public an opportunity to nominate organisations and individuals making notable contributions to Nigeria’s digital ecosystem through the .ng domain. Now in its ninth edition, the .ng Awards recognises organisations and individuals that are using the .ng domain to build businesses, deliver digital services, provide information and contribute to the growth…

Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment has risen to about 142 million, representing approximately 78 per cent growth from the more than 80 million people captured in the National Identity Database when President Bola Tinubu assumed office. President Tinubu disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2026 National Identity Day celebration organised by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the President directed NIMC to expand NIN enrolment to 95 per cent of the population by December 2026. “Today, NIN enrolment stands at about 142 million, a remarkable increase from the over…