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Bolt Introduces New Identity Verification Portal for Drivers

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L-R: OpemipoKehinde, Marketing Manager Bolt Nigeria, Terver Bendega, Regional MarketingManager Africa, Uche Okafor, Regional Manager, West Africa, Gbenga Odegbami,CEO YouVerify, Femi Akin-Laguda, Bolt’s City Manager for Lagos, Nigeria, at the unveiling of a new identity verification portal for drivers, in Lagos on Monday.
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Bolt, the leading on-demand transportation platform in Africa, has announced its partnership with a data aggregation and acquisition company YouVerify.

As part of the partnership, a fully customised portal was developed for Bolt where drivers can request and check their verifications as part of the driver onboarding process.

Femi Akin-Laguda, city manager for Lagos, Bolt Nigeria said “The Safety of all our customers, both drivers and riders, has always and will continue to be a cornerstone of our business strategy of building trust with all our customers.

“As safety is never done, over the last 3 years, we have been working very hard to continue improving the level of detail and robustness of our verification process in validating the identity of all individuals who wish to drive on Bolt.

“We are very excited to announce that we have now partnered with YouVerify, a leading identity aggregation technology company, to build an industry-leading self-serve driver verification portal which is the first of its kind to be rolled out in our market.

“This unique portal was developed in partnership with our supply operations team ensuring that it effectively meets our needs but is also not excessively intrusive for our driver-partners.

“The system will be driven by YouVerify’s proprietary identity verification technology which provides the tools to validate various documentation & data and provide key requirements for an ideal verification solution that boosts both service quality and customer safety.”

The Identity Verification Portal allows Bolt to conduct checks that were not available before, and is more comprehensive for the existing checks.

For example, the home address verification provides higher levels of identity assurance than with previous model and BVN check in particular will help completely remove fraud and impersonation attempts.

What is more, the verification results are received in real-time, which makes the turnaround time much faster.

All the driver has to do is initiate the verification request, provide all the information required and the portal verifies the driver’s home address, the driver’s documents and face, and verifies the BVN against the database of NIBSS to confirm their identity.

Gbenga Odegbami, ceo, YouVerify, “Our partnership with Bolt to deploy the highest security and privacy standards will ensure that all verifications are done reliably and securely without compromising the privacy of the drivers.

“In the past 18 months, Youverify’s advanced background verification has helped institutions build trust between companies and with individuals, while consistently demonstrating our commitment to data safety.”

The verification portal will be rolled out in stages: it is already live in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, and will be available across Nigeria in the coming months.

The driver verification portal is an addition to Bolt’s suite of safety features including an SOS button in the driver app, a 24-hour high-priority team, and the ability to share the details and route of an ongoing ride with loved ones.

 


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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ABoICT Lecture 2025 to Focus on Governance, Standardization in Artificial Intelligence Era

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This year’s Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership lecture will focus on Governance, Standardization and cybersecurity in artificial intelligence era.

The lecture which will herald Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Awards (ABoICT Lecture 2025) hold on May 24, 2025 at Four Points by Sheraton and will be delivered by Prof. Adewale Obadare, Chief Visionary Officer, Digital Encode – Cybersecurity and GRC Expert.

The sixteenth edition of the award ceremony according Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek the organizers of the event, “is a special edition to recognise and celebrate organizations and individuals in the ICT industry that have contributed to the growth of the sector.

“Most of these organizations and individuals have consistently being voted by our readers as leaders in their areas of operations and we have decided to reward them in this special edition, tag: ‘ICT Growth Edition 2025’ he said,”.

He added that, an AI governance framework outlines policies, principles, and practices to guide the ethical and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies, ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness.

“In the AI era, cybersecurity faces both new threats and opportunities, as AI’s capabilities are used by both defenders and attackers to launch sophisticated attacks and defenses.

“This requires a proactive approach, including AI-powered security tools, robust data security, and ethical AI development, emphasizing real-time monitoring, threat intelligence, and collaboration among cybersecurity professionals and AI researchers.

“Artificial intelligence transforms cybersecurity by automating responses to risks, detecting unusual activity, and even foreseeing possible dangers before they occur.

“While AI has various perks, such as better efficiency and faster risk identification, it also has challenges. Without proper oversight, these systems can be misused or make errors. Strong governance and ethical frameworks ensure AI technologies are used responsibly and effectively.,” he said.

The Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished (ABoICT Lecture 2024) is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.

The lecture series however is reserved for distinguished achievers in the ICT sector.

Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, founder, Hyperspace & NeuraL AI and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; among others.


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Cabals Still Fighting our Refinery – Dangote

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Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and president of Dangote Refinery, has insisted that the ‘cabal’ in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is still fighting against the success of his 650,000 barrels per day plant.

Cabals Still Fighting our Refinery – Dangote

Aliko Dangote

Dangote disclosed this, according to Semafor, a global news platform, at an investor forum in Lagos at the weekend.

He said, “For a very, very long time, those that have made a lot of money from government-subsidised oil imports into Nigeria were the ones trying to sabotage the $20 billion worth of refinery situated in Lekki, Lagos.”

He further stressed that “those groups have funded resistance to the Bola Tinubu government’s removal of petrol subsidies and are opposed to the refinery operating easily in the country.”

However, Dangote was confident that the battle between him and the groups would be won, priding himself on being a long-time fighter.

“We’re fighting, and the fight is not yet finished. But I have been fighting all my life, and I am ready and 100 percent sure I will win at the end of the day,” he was quoted.

Recall that Dangote Refinery kicked off the sale of petrol in September 2024, which had led to a significant drop in fuel imports into Nigeria.

In May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy during his inauguration speech.


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NPAN Hails Tribunal’s Ruling on FCCPC’s $220M Fine Against Meta

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Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has welcomed the decision of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCT) upholding the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Inc. by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

In a statement signed by its President, Mal. Kabiru A. Yusuf, and General Secretary, Mrs. Angela Emuwa, NPAN described the ruling as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to enforce digital accountability and protect the rights of its citizens.

“The decision affirms the importance of compelling global digital platforms to adhere to Nigeria’s laws and respect the rights of users,” the association said.

NPAN noted that the fine, resulting from a 30-month investigation spanning 2021 to 2023, was imposed due to Meta’s alleged unauthorized data sharing and discriminatory practices affecting Nigerian users.

The association also emphasized that Nigeria’s regulatory action aligns with global trends, citing similar penalties imposed on Meta in Europe, as well as actions against other tech giants such as Amazon, TikTok, Google, and Apple.

As an advocate for media freedom and fair digital practices, NPAN reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding intellectual property and ensuring fair remuneration for publishers in the evolving digital landscape.

It further urged sustained collaboration among government agencies, civil society, and industry players to strengthen Nigeria’s digital regulatory environment.


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