General News
Balancing act between digital innovation and customer trust crucial in Africa – Harvard Business Review
A new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services with Mastercard details the importance for businesses across Africa to balance digital innovation and customer trust. The study explores the current business landscape through the lens of an increasingly young population, filled with consumers who prioritize brands with shared values and digital experiences that make them feel safe and secure. It highlights trust as an important lever for customer loyalty, business sustainability, and innovation.
Around 60% of Africa’s population is younger than 25. Their embrace of a digital world that is purpose-driven and built on connection bodes well for businesses in a region that prioritizes innovation. However, with economic activity increasing online, security and privacy are emerging as foundational not just for trust but also for innovation.
Over 70% of businesses in Africa recognize that service reliability and availability are paramount. However, less than half (42%) realize the importance of data security and privacy to customers, especially as digital tools and experiences become ubiquitous. To safeguard the trust of consumers and earn a license to innovate in the future, businesses need to recognize that innovation requires flexibility and commitment.
Businesses are faced with the challenge of innovating to satisfy consumer demand for richer, more satisfying experiences while maintaining consumer trust. However, consumers in the region are also quicker than their global peers to punish businesses for adverse events by withdrawing their trust, which raises the stakes for businesses.
The report notes that 80% of African consumers are eager to embrace digital benefits but will not buy from businesses or brands they don’t trust. Businesses in the region understand the importance of trust for their own sustainability, with more than three-quarters saying trust improves customer loyalty and more than half saying it provides a competitive advantage.
“Africa has seen extraordinary digital transformation over the past decade, and with each new milestone in digital inclusion, Africa’s young digital natives and early adopters present companies with an opportunity to reconsider their innovation priorities in line with the elements their consumers value. Trust is essential for innovation—it is the currency that underpins it.
“When consumers can trust businesses, it gives businesses the space and security to innovate, and that innovation can unlock prosperity across Africa for all Africans,” said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President for Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Mastercard.
African consumers are more sensitive than their global peers to factors that damage trust in brands, and data security is a top concern. Around 60% of consumers in the region said incidents in which consumer data has been mismanaged would damage their trust.
Consumers in Africa have also underlined the importance of strong values, with 80% saying they prioritized buying from businesses that act on causes they care about, a far higher proportion than the global average of 63%. This includes the environment, supporting small businesses, women’s economic empowerment, disaster relief, and aid.
The report further explores how businesses in the region are digitizing their processes and embedding innovation while ensuring that they continue to meet their customers’ and stakeholders’ expectations for reliable, secure systems and maintain their trust, through best practices such as:
· Build security into products and be transparent when issues arise. Customers expect secure, reliable, appropriate systems they can trust to keep their personal data safe.
· Communicate the company’s vision and values. Consumers in Africa prioritize buying from brands that support their values.
· Make innovation part of the company culture. A considered 360-degree approach to innovation will benefit large companies with legacy infrastructure and set processes.
· Partner with like-minded companies to boost innovation. The report lifts out the fintech partnerships of South-African based Standard Bank, and MTN’s collaboration to make cross-border transactions a reality.
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Galaxy Space, Chinese LEO satellite player, to deploy direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services nationwide by the end of this year.
According to media reports, Galaxy Space will integrate its LEO satellite constellation into Nigeria’s telecom grid, which will allow existing smartphones and laptops to link directly to the satellites.
The MoU also covers technology‑transfer programmes, joint R&D labs and the co‑production of a CubeSat by Nigerian engineers.
Apart from the benefit of enabling mobile coverage outside of terrestrial network range, Dr Matthew Adepoju, director- general, NASRDA, said the deal with GalaxySpace would enable Nigeria to build up its domestic space technology sector.
“It is no longer acceptable that we must import every single device we need,” he told the News Agency of Nigera. “The time has come for us to produce our own technologies here at home.”
GalaxySpace, which designs and manufactures its own LEO satellites, currently has a test constellation of seven LEO satellites in orbit, and has said its “Mini-Spider” constellation will eventually comprise up to 1,000 satellites.
GalaxySpace said it has also signed multi-tier partnerships in Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Last year, it also signed a deal with Hong Kong carrier PCCW Global to integrate its LEOsat connectivity with PCCW’s worldwide network, giving it access to over 3,000 cities across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
General News
IHS Nigeria, United Nations Global Compact Host High-Level Dialogue on Sustainability and Greener Business Practices in Nigeria
IHS Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, hosted a high-level private sector dialogue themed “Collaborative Strategies for Greener Business Practices, Innovation and Sustainable Development”.
The event, held in Lagos, brought together key players from different sectors including finance, law, telecommunications, biodiversity, and corporate sustainability to explore actionable pathways to achieve meaningful environmental stewardship in Nigeria.
The panel session offered bold perspectives on integrating sustainability into business frameworks across different sectors, whilst dispelling myths, and highlighting opportunities for organizations, and calling for collective action from all players within the business value chain.
Delivering a keynote address, Titilope Oguntuga, Director, Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, emphasized the urgency of environmental consciousness: “Sustainability is not a destination — it’s a collective journey.
“It requires courage to transform, vision to lead, and collaboration to scale. Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We can either be overwhelmed by the risks or rise to become a beacon of green innovation and inclusive growth in Africa. The choice is ours — and the time is now.”
Sylvie Josel, Lead, Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions at the United Nations Global Compact, joined virtually from New York and spotlighted nature as a strategic asset:
“Nature must no longer be treated as an afterthought. It underpins everything, from human rights to supply chains. Embedding biodiversity into a company’s core strategy isn’t just a risk mitigation measure; it’s a smart, future-forward business imperative”.
Lanre Babalola, Group Head, Climate Finance and Sustainability at the Bank of Industry (BOI), provided insights into how BOI is funding sustainable ventures and driving innovation: “We look beyond profitability; we look at environmental and social impact. Whether it’s plastic roads, biogas, or solar transitions, we support businesses that are not only bankable but capable of reshaping the future.”
From the legal perspective, Oyeronke Oyetunde, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN Group, drew attention to the regulatory challenges hindering sustainability adoption: “Our legal frameworks are trailing behind today’s sustainability realities. We need forward-thinking laws, reduced regulatory silos, and incentives that reward the right behavior. Sustainability can’t thrive where enforcement is weak, and taxation is excessive.”
Abimbola Agbejule, Head, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility at Wema bank, spoke passionately about inclusiveness in sustainable development: “You don’t need to start big to make impact. MSMEs make up a huge part of our economy. Sustainability should be embedded in their day-to-day activities, and we must democratize access to knowledge, tools, and partnerships.”
The session was moderated by Gloria Okorie, Head of Programs at the United Nations Global Impact Center.
The event closed with a resounding call to action for stronger legal frameworks, deeper collaborations, and inclusive capacity building across sectors. The event further reinforces IHS Nigeria’s position as a leader in corporate sustainability and innovation in Nigeria.
“At IHS Nigeria, we recognize that true progress happens when sustainability is not an obligation, but a culture, lived every day, across every unit,” Titilope Oguntuga added.
Through initiatives like this dialogue, IHS Nigeria and its partners continue to champion solutions that protect the planet, empower people, and ensure long-term business viability.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading digital rights and inclusion nonprofit, has revealed in its 2024 Annual Impact Report that over 707 young individuals across 11 African countries have been empowered through its flagship LIFE Legacy Programme.
The initiative delivers training in life skills, ICT, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship—transforming underserved communities across the continent.
In 2024, the LIFE Legacy Programme ran 25 training cohorts across Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Sudan, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Senegal, 60 laptops were distributed to local partners, while digital literacy programmes were launched in schools in Cameroon and Tanzania through the LIFE@School initiative.
PIN advanced its advocacy by supporting 29 legal cases in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. A notable success was the landmark judgment in Molehin v. UBA, where the bank was found guilty of violating data privacy laws.
PIN’s research and media efforts made powerful waves. The Londa digital rights report, covering 26 countries, was downloaded 8,457 times. Its fourth short film, Undersight, recorded nearly one million views on YouTube. PIN also developed an AI strategy report with TrustLaw and collaborated with the Centre for Democratic Technology to assess content moderation policies for Kiswahili across Kenya and Tanzania. A separate report highlighted the troubling deployment of surveillance technologies across Africa, which was referenced in direct advocacy engagements with a telecom operator.
The organisation’s advocacy also contributed to the adoption of the African Commission’s Resolution 580, which urges governments to avoid Internet shutdowns during elections—strengthening digital freedom across the continent.
Meanwhile, the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) convened in Accra attracted 1,004 delegates from 61 countries, strengthening regional collaboration and amplifying the voice of civil society. PIN’s strategic communications pushed its media reach to 1.43 billion and social media engagement to 8.8 million.
Alongside training and policy efforts, the organisation inspired young changemakers through youth-focused campaigns and hosted seven fellows under the Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) fellowship.
Crowning a year of impact, PIN earned the maiden PrivCon Privacy Award in Nigeria and was recognised in the Social Innovation Category at the Nigeria Innovation Awards for its work connecting African youth to digital opportunity.
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