General News
Telecos Seek Licences To Boost Financial Inclusion

Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has said operators have commenced discussion with Central Bank of Nigeria for licences to provide mobile payment services.
Mr Gbolahan Awonuga, the Executive Secretary, disclosed this yesterday at the third quarterly forum of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Lagos.
The theme of the forum is: ”Digital Payment: Prospects and Challenges of a Financially Inclusive Nigeria”.
He said that, to fit into the mobile money platform, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) graciously agreed that the operators should get the super agent licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to him, the telecommunications companies have to operate on subsidiary names, which are not the telecommunications companies’ names.
”They are working on getting the licences already. Globacom recently launched its mobile money platform, so the operators are already keying in to boost financial inclusion.
”The telecommunications companies have been doing so much on electronic payment. We are going for licence for e-payment.
”Nigeria is lagging behind so much in mobile payment, and this is obvious in the rural areas.
”So the telecommunications operators want to bridge the gap that the country has in financial inclusion,” he said.
Awonuga said that there was the need to boost local content in the country hence, the local content policy should be implemented to grow the economy.
Mr James Emadoye, the President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), said that Nigerians should encourage local content in software development.
Emadoye said that software was an intellectual property, which should be protected.
According to him, foreign technology was developing while Nigeria’s own was shrinking.
”The national cake, which is oil in Nigeria, is running dry, so we need to rethink on another opportunity, which lies in software development,” he said.
Emadoye urged the media to help change the narrative of software in the country.
General News
Nigeria’s BNPL Market is Projected to Value @ $2.6B by 2030

Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
General News
FG, Netherlands Partner on Digital Migration for NIS

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
General News
AfDB Cuts Nigeria’s Growth Projection to 3.2%

Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
- General News1 day ago
Nigeria’s BNPL Market is Projected to Value @ $2.6B by 2030
- Telecom1 day ago
Free WiFi Meets Mega Entertainment at the Grand Opening of Solution Fun City
- E-Financial1 day ago
NIA Puts Industry Written Premium @ N1.5trn in 2024
- E-Financial2 days ago
Flutterwave Named in 2025 TIME100 Most Influential Companies List
- Telecom1 day ago
Instagram Safety Tools Every Parent Should Know About
- General News2 days ago
AfDB Cuts Nigeria’s Growth Projection to 3.2%
- General News2 days ago
FG, Netherlands Partner on Digital Migration for NIS
- Telecom2 days ago
NCC Unveils Landmark RIA Report, Reinforces Stakeholder-Centric Regulation